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New Lithium Battery Regulations

Brent Carter

Brent Carter

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Please note that as of January 1, 2009, lithium ion batteries over 100Wh are classified as Class 9 Dangerous Goods. RED BRICK batteries are 140Wh and therefore fall into this category. RED must comply with the applicable US domestic and international rules and regulations pertaining to documentation, shipping, and handling procedures. Since there is a Dangerous Goods surcharge for lithium ion batteries added onto the normal cost of shipping, RED will be adding a RED BRICK shipping and handling surcharge on orders including RED BRICKS.

In addition, some countries will not accept any Dangerous Goods shipments with FedEx as the carrier (see http://fedex.com/us/dangerousgoods/ for country list). For these countries, RED will have to engage the services of a different class of shipper (eg, a freight forwarder). If RED cannot use FedEx, please note that there will be increased shipping and handling charges as well as additional processing time to arrange for alternate shipping options.

Unless you have been certified to ship dangerous goods, you must work with a Dangerous Goods, Class 9-certified shipper to assist you with a shipment that includes RED BRICKS (or other regulated lithium ion batteries). Please note that applicable laws prohibit the shipping of batteries that are physically damaged. We urge you to look into the formal rules and regulations of shipping Class 9 Dangerous Goods prior to preparing your shipment. For more information on these regulations, please visit www.iata.org and www.dot.gov .

If you are going to be traveling with your RED BRICKS (or any lithium batteries), please see http://safetravel.dot.gov/larger_batt.html for rules and regulations. As of this post, you do have the ability to carry on BRICKS onto a commercial flight - with limitations, of course.

Again, RED takes these regulations very seriously. We ask you to NEVER ship a RED BRICK back to RED without complying with the same rules and regulations. RMA'ed BRICKS returned to RED without proper steps taken to ensure compliance will NOT be evaluated by RED and may not be returned to the customer. Safety is one of our very top priorities and we hope that you will work with us in this matter.

Thanks and let us know if you have any questions. We will answer what we can - but I highly recommend that you check out the links in this post for yourself to really see how this affects you.

As more information becomes available, I will post on this thread.

RED BOMB SQUAD
www.red.com/contact_us
949.206.7900
 
So it seems according to the latest rules, you could conceivably have 1 of your Red Bricks hooked up to the battery charger and bring two additional bricks with you on the plane. Do I read that correctly.

Good to know about the shipping, thanks Brent!
 
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stevesherrick said:
So it seems according to the latest rules, you could conceivably have 1 of your Red Bricks hooked up to the battery charger and bring two additional bricks with you on the plane. Do I read that correctly.

Good to know about the shipping, thanks Brent!
Click to expand...

It would seem so, yes - as long as you don't exceed the maximum amount of total Lithium Ion allowed in the carry-on gear (which three BRICKS would not). We have heard of people traveling with a RED ONE with the BRICK attached to a CRADLE or QUICKPLATE which, in turn, was on the RED RAILS SYSTEM. And, then, two additional BRICKS.

BC
 
safer lithium options

safer lithium options

Brent@RED said:
Safety is one of our very top priorities...
Click to expand...

It may not be of immediate use, but you might investigate a future version of the RED BRICK which uses lithium iron phosphate batteries. This is not a direct replacement for a traditional lithium-cobalt type because the cell voltage is only 3.2 V, but it is safe. You can overcharge, short, puncture, and even fire bullets through LiFePO4 cells without causing a fire. The same cannot be said of traditional lithium-ion.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium_iron_phosphate_battery

Note: the technology is fairly new to commercial use and shipping regulations may not yet acknowledge its relative safety vs. lithium-cobalt, etc. type cells.
 
stevesherrick said:
So it seems according to the latest rules, you could conceivably have 1 of your Red Bricks hooked up to the battery charger and bring two additional bricks with you on the plane. Do I read that correctly.

Good to know about the shipping, thanks Brent!
Click to expand...

You can travel with three batteries. I just got back from a trip to Germany and Slovenia- I carried on three 190wh batteries no problem, and no one ever gave me a second glance. However, security was interested in the Red I was carrying, as they did extra testing on that at every airport I went to...
 
Brent@RED said:
Please note that as of January 1, 2009, lithium ion batteries over 100Wh are classified as Class 9 Dangerous Goods. RED BRICK batteries are 140Wh and therefore fall into this category. RED must comply with the applicable US domestic and international rules and regulations pertaining to documentation, shipping, and handling procedures. Since there is a Dangerous Goods surcharge for lithium ion batteries added onto the normal cost of shipping, RED will be adding a RED BRICK shipping and handling surcharge on orders including RED BRICKS.

In addition, some countries will not accept any Dangerous Goods shipments with FedEx as the carrier (see http://fedex.com/us/dangerousgoods/ for country list). For these countries, RED will have to engage the services of a different class of shipper (eg, a freight forwarder). If RED cannot use FedEx, please note that there will be increased shipping and handling charges as well as additional processing time to arrange for alternate shipping options.

Unless you have been certified to ship dangerous goods, you must work with a Dangerous Goods, Class 9-certified shipper to assist you with a shipment that includes RED BRICKS (or other regulated lithium ion batteries). Please note that applicable laws prohibit the shipping of batteries that are physically damaged. We urge you to look into the formal rules and regulations of shipping Class 9 Dangerous Goods prior to preparing your shipment. For more information on these regulations, please visit www.iata.org and www.dot.gov .

If you are going to be traveling with your RED BRICKS (or any lithium batteries), please see http://safetravel.dot.gov/larger_batt.html for rules and regulations. As of this post, you do have the ability to carry on BRICKS onto a commercial flight - with limitations, of course.

Again, RED takes these regulations very seriously. We ask you to NEVER ship a RED BRICK back to RED without complying with the same rules and regulations. RMA'ed BRICKS returned to RED without proper steps taken to ensure compliance will NOT be evaluated by RED and may not be returned to the customer. Safety is one of our very top priorities and we hope that you will work with us in this matter.

Thanks and let us know if you have any questions. We will answer what we can - but I highly recommend that you check out the links in this post for yourself to really see how this affects you.

As more information becomes available, I will post on this thread.

RED BOMB SQUAD
www.red.com/contact_us
949.206.7900
Click to expand...


A week ago FEDEX France, which is the Fedex center for shipping further to European countries, refused to ship the RED Bricks to Europe,
and they have sent back our BRICKS back to RED.

They were almost scared that it was an exploding device like a bomb
(could You believe that), and that it can't be flying on FEDEX plane in EUROPE.
However, it can go back to the USA, with the FEDEX plane.

Hypocrisy or stupidity ?

Best Regards

Stephan
 
Well Brent... if you sign as "Red Bomb Squad" it´s really coherent that the stuff gets a Danger Classification fron the government ... maybe if you change it to Red Technical Assistance or so?
 
yep RED BOMB SQUAD now delivers Class 9 Dangerous Goods :shiftyph34r:
 
I understand the goal of reducing camera weight, but Lithium batteries are a poor choice for reasons all too obvious in this thread.

I consider myself a fan, but not a fan-boy, so I feel free to point out what I believe is a tactical error on Red's part. This camera is now widely accepted as an industry standard and as such it should certainly be completely qualified to operate with the industry standard batteries! If they can certify a lens mount, they can do the same with batteries.

Of course my Red does in fact work perfectly with the Anton Bauer 140s, but I'm certain that many, if not most, of us would love to see Red certify Anton Bauer, perhaps others, for use with Red. On the over-volt issue, Anton Bauer is working it now. A new regulated plate should insure compatibility.

This does not mean that Red need abandon their own batteries or continue development of the new, safer variety of Lithium cells. Certainly the hand-held and Steadicam guys need a lighter solution.

Good shooting and best regards,

Leo
 
I just flew to Philadelphia and back this past week (from Atlanta). I had one in my carry-on with the camera (not attached), and 4 batteries all connected to one idx charger in my checked baggage. No issues.

Did I just get lucky?
 
Unfortunately, the TSA is one big, fat, pathetic joke that absolutely fails to enhance safety while providing inconvenience in abundance.

Yes, you got lucky. What if they had confiscated your batteries? What if they hauled you in for the third degree just short of water-boarding?

How would that have affected your production schedule?

Good shooting and best regards,

Leo
 
I hear water-boarding Lithium is VERY dangerous.
 
I've got some SWIT lithium ions for just this reason. They separate into 2 halves--each of which is less than the 100 maximum.

I'm with Leo on the flying thing--anecdotal evidence that it worked a few times isn't worth the exception!! I've flown a lot throughout North America, in Europe, in Africa--and every now and then I've run into security that do know the fineprint and who do enforce the rules.

When I'm running lean I've got 2 RED bricks and 2 big SWIT batteries (which break down into 4 separate <100 components).

On a side note, I know of local high-end wood working shop that had a massive, hugely expensive fire caused by a cordless drill's lithium ion battery deciding to self ignite

p
 
paul engstrom said:
and every now and then I've run into security that do know the fineprint and who do enforce the rules.
Click to expand...

It is important to know what the rules are, so that if you run into someone else who knows them you are prepared. To help with this, I print out the latest rules / regs from the TSA and pack them with me. (I also highlight the specific details so that i can find them when needed.) You can check out safetravel.dot.gov for more info.

In short, you CANNOT check ANY LI Battery, and you CANNOT carry on any one battery that has more then 25 grams of lithium content. You are allowed one Large battery (Over 100wh) installed on a device, and two additional spare large batteries. Additionally you are allowed any number of small batteries (under 100wh.)

As the rules and regs continue to change, it is always best to go and check before you travel. And be sure to print them out and have them on hand with you when you do. It will make the process much easier should you run into trouble.
 
CE

CE

Red have continually failed to supply conformity information for Europe to meet CE requirements so the batteries being turned back from France could have equally been for this reason. Red need to understand international as well as US regulations a common mistake of many US companies (there is a world outside of the USA)
 
as I understand it Red Bricks are made in Europe - although understandably I suppose, the manufacturer would not sell to me directly but surely as far as Red delivery (and the environment etc) are concerned it would make sense that the batteries are not shipped back and forth across the atlantic for us Europeans which would also make it possible to avoid all these surcharges etc.

re Orlando's comment about Fedex France - what makes this even more incredible is that France is on FedEx's own list of countries where delivery IS permitted.
I can't help feeling this is simply another squeeze that is actually paranoia and something that can demand a higher fee for what has been happening for some time without any problems....

I'd also like to suggest that Red make Bricks less than the 100wh that can piggy back on each other - as standard - if it is difficult to develop an alternative battery system that will power the camera... perhaps the new batteries (for the brains) already solve this problem but there are over 5000 reds out there that need plenty of power.

If I travel alone to remote-ish places I am now fairly restricted to the number of hours I can shoot in a day unless I have a mains power source to re-charge - try that at the top of a mountain....
 
We have opted to switch to AB Hytron batteries and avoid ALL travel restrictions. We mostly use the Hytron 140's and they are superb...only downside is their size and weight, plus side is they last a long time.

The future for Li Ion batteries is a bleak one...environmentally they are I'd urge you to look at alternatives.

Scott
 
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