International Flight from UK to SA with ebike - Customs and Battery Question

[ajnkzn]

Hi Team

 

I have bought one of those Staycyc e balance bikes for our son - was on Black Friday special for a good price in the UK and we have family there that it was delivered to.

 

We are visiting the UK in March and I need to bring the bike back.

 

1) If it's a "gift" from my family in the UK, would there be import duty payable at SA customs? Better to bring it over as a separate item in its original box, or to remove the wheels and squeeze it into one of our bags that will go in the hold?

2) What's the regulation around flying with a battery? I;m sure that people fly with ebikes all the time but I don't want to be unprepared in case of any questions at check in time...

 

Thanks for any help.

[JanJan]

You would not be able to transport the battery in any aircraft. This is quite a difficult situation, because you are going to struggle to find a shipping agency that will ship the battery by sea.

You can 'try' to fool a company like UPS/FedEx by stating the package needs to be sea-freighted and is indeed a Li-Ion battery, but you stand a chance of the package being rejected. Do not lie about it the contents, you can face some serious consequences. (The reason is the various documentation that is required prior to shipping like UN 38.3, etc.)

Tough, but consider buying a new battery from the supplier and have it sent here (2-3 months), or sell the bike and buy a new one here.

 

[madmarc]

Can't you take the battery on as hand luggage like you have to with power banks etc. Maybe check with the airline 

[Bundu Ric]

If it is a Lithium battery, and depending on the size, unlikely that an airline will take it on the flight for you, had the same issue with an electric skateboard removable battery. 

Just search, some of the courier companies do ship, but they take precautionary measures, which costs extra. 

[JanJan]

Oh wait! 

I see from their website, the Stacyc balance bikes have various batteries. If the capacity falls below the 100 Wh threshold, they can then be taken on a plane. (just make sure of your exact model!) (Ah x Nominal Voltage < 100 Wh.) If this exceeds 100Wh, no way you can put it on the plane.

You may need to pre-authorize this with your airliner. (maybe some extra cost)

You would need to discharge the battery below 30%. 

Try to contact Stacyc and get their UN 38.3 certificate for the battery.

[Andreas_187]

I'm pretty sure the battery limit is not that big, it is more like laptop sized batteries. 

A 'gift' is something stupid like a max value of R800

[Sven142]

I would sell the battery that side and just buy a new battery locally, will be much less of a headache. 

I can get you the battery safety data sheet if you need and want to try go that way. 

[ChrisF]

This topic often comes up on eMBN.

 

MOST airlines do not allow you take the battery on a plane.

 

It is becoming big part of the buying decision to buy a bike for which you can rent a battery at popular destinations.

 

 

 

If you find a way around this, kindly let us know.

 

 

 

As for the tax part - 2018 a friend bought two ebikes in Europe.  They used it there for some time, then brought it back with them.  At the time no questions were asked about the batteries, they just paid the weight limit costs and that was it. 

 

Maybe they were just lucky, but no questions on this side, and no taxes were paid.

 

['Dale]

Didn't read it. May be useful to you @ajnkzn

https://www.bikeradar.com/advice/flying-with-an-electric-bike

[MudLark]

I couldn't find a courier company willing to ship a 1950mwh battery - and I looked. I'd be delighted if you find one.