On Tuesday, Mayor Eric Adams launched the New York City Safe Charging Accelerator to ensure safe e-bike usage and charging, and to prevent deadly lithium-ion battery fires in NYC. As a part of this accelerator, the Department of Transportation (DOT) will propose a rule to expedite approvals for property owners to more quickly install e-bike battery swapping and charging cabinets on public sidewalks, removing barriers to their installation and making them accessible and usable for e-bike users. Additionally, DOT will launch the nation’s first municipal trade-in pilot program for unsafe e-bikes and other powered mobility devices and their batteries, allowing eligible food delivery workers to replace their unsafe devices with certified, high-quality e-bikes and batteries. Finally, the FDNY will launch a $1 million public education and awareness campaign on the dangers of unsafe lithium-ion batteries, following new data showing that 59% of 2023’s lithium-ion battery fires started when those batteries were not charging.
“When used correctly, e-bikes are a convenient, low-cost transportation option that reduces congestion and emissions, and tens of thousands of delivery workers rely on them every day,” said Mayor Adams. “But too often, those bikes are powered by unsafe, uncertified batteries that at any minute could combust. That is why we are doing everything in our power to put a stop to these deadly fires and make use of safe lithium-ion batteries more affordable.”
“The reality is that lithium-ion batteries can be dangerous even if they are certified, and even if they are not charging,” said FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh. “We implore every user of a device with a lithium-ion battery to closely review this campaign and see for yourselves the deadly and destructive fires the device in your home may cause.”
Illegal and unregulated batteries — which power tens of thousands of micromobility devices in NYC — pose significant risks to residents and first responders due to their potential for explosive and deadly fires. Since 2019, lithium-ion batteries have started 733 fires, killing 29 New Yorkers and injuring 442 more. Notably, in 2023, 133 fires started from lithium-ion batteries that were not charging, compared to 91 that occurred while they were.
The Adams administration has taken swift and urgent action to prevent dangerous lithium-ion battery fires and promote safe e-bike usage and charging as more and more New Yorkers use e-micromobility devices to get around the five boroughs for both work and for leisure. In March 2023, Mayor Adams released “Charge Safe, Ride Safe: New York City’s Electric Micromobility Action Plan.” The plan focuses on four key areas: promoting and incentivizing safe battery use, increasing education and outreach to electric micromobility users, advocating for additional federal regulation of these devices and expanding enforcement against high-risk situations. Last spring, Adams also signed five bills into law to further regulate lithium-ion batteries sold in NYC and strengthen fire safety related to battery fires.
Subsequently, in February, Mayor Adams activated the first of five public e-battery charging stations as part of the city’s new six-month pilot program to test safe, public charging of lithium-ion batteries by an initial group of 100 delivery workers.
Courtesy of Mayor Eric Adams’ Office