FedEx Dangerous Goods Support for Lithium Batteries

We are delighted to announce that Shiptheory now provides FedEx Dangerous Goods support for products that contain any type of lithium batteries such as laptops, mobile phones, e-scooters, e-bikes, and more.

Lithium batteries

Dangerous goods (also known as hazardous materials or hazmat) are items or substances which could pose a risk to health, safety, property, or the environment when transported in commerce. Therefore, they need to be appropriately packed, handled carefully, and shipped with the required expertise to ensure they arrive safely at their destination.

There are nine classes of dangerous goods, and although some goods, such as explosives or substances liable to spontaneous combustion, are clearly dangerous, others may surprise you. Most products that contain lithium batteries – such as mobile phones, laptops, or e-scooters – all fall into the dangerous goods category, for example.

The above products may seem harmless, but they can be extremely dangerous when transported, especially by air. Vibrations, static electricity, or temperature and pressure variations can cause these items to leak, generate toxic fumes, start a fire, or explode if they are not appropriately handled.

While most lithium batteries are safe, there are several reported cases where lithium batteries have overheated and caught fire. Once ignited, they can cause any nearby batteries to overheat and catch fire as well. These fires can be exceedingly difficult to put out and produce toxic and irritating fumes. As a result, several regulations are surrounding the safe transport of lithium batteries.

There are two main types of lithium batteries:

1.       Lithium metal batteries are generally non-rechargeable, disposable lithium batteries which contain metallic lithium and are also called primary lithium batteries.

2.       Lithium ion batteries are generally rechargeable lithium batteries that contain lithium polymer and are also called secondary lithium batteries.

How to prepare and package my lithium battery shipments?

If you want to learn more about how to prepare and package your lithium battery shipments, you can visit FedEx's lithium battery shipping page, contact FedEx Express Customer Services and ask for the Dangerous Goods Specialist and read more on the IATA website.

Ship products that contain lithium batteries with a FedEx Compatible solution like Shiptheory

When you prepare shipments containing lithium batteries using Shiptheory's FedEx integration, you need to indicate which type(s) of lithium batteries you have included in your shipment.

FedEx Express customers can now select up to four different types of lithium batteries Section II (UN3481 and UN3091) descriptions in Shiptheory:

·        Lithium Ion Batteries: Separate (UN 3481 – Packing Instruction 966)

·        Lithium Ion Batteries: Contained (UN 3481 – Packing Instruction 967)

·        Lithium Metal Batteries: Separate (UN 3091 – Packing Instruction 969)

·        Lithium Metal Batteries: Contained (UN 3091 – Packing Instruction 970)

Set up a FedEx shipping rule for your shipments that contain lithium batteries as you would normally do, select the FedEx service and format of your preference and then add the correct lithium battery type as an enhancement from the Enhancements drop-down menu.

Ship your e-scooters and e-bikes with Shiptheory and FedEx

The usage of electric scooters and bikes is becoming increasingly widespread, especially for short-distant travel in metropolitan areas. As a result, the e-scooter market is expected to reach an estimated $16.4 billion by 2025.

As consumers become more environmentally conscious, many are looking for green, affordable transport options. E-scooters and e-bikes are a great way to replace short car trips, which helps to reduce congestion and pollution levels in the city.

With a phenomenal increase in demand lately, e-scooter and e-bike companies need to ship hundreds of their products every day. Nevertheless, shipping an e-bike or e-scooter is not like shipping a regular bike or scooter. These devices often contain large lithium batteries that weigh up to four kilograms and present a significant risk for shipping, as we explained above.

Shiptheory's FedEx Dangerous Goods support for lithium batteries can be the perfect solution for your e-scooter or e-bike company. It enables you to ship your products worldwide and feel confident that they will arrive at their destination safely and on time, wherever your customers are.

The combination of Shiptheory's intelligent shipping automation with FedEx's wide range of international delivery services will take the hassle out of your e-commerce fulfilment and save you money and time.          

Please do not hesitate to reach out to support if you have any queries regarding Shiptheory's FedEx Dangerous Goods support for lithium batteries or our FedEx integration. We are more than happy to give you a hand to get it up and running.

Otherwise, create a free Shiptheory and FedEx account and start shipping smarter and faster today!