The New York City Council heard testimony from fire department officials and members of the public about their support for two pieces of legislation that tackle e-bike and e-scooter battery safety.
The bills, introduced last month and not yet scheduled for a vote, come at a time of serious concern over the risks posed by the popular devices, which have already caused 63 fires and five deaths this year. By comparison, last year saw 216 fires and six deaths related to lithium batteries.
One of the bills would establish a program with the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection to provide reduced-cost or free lithium-ion batteries. The other would require businesses to store batteries in fireproof containers.
“It’s an increasing trend. We’re seeing the number of fires increase, and the number of deaths increase as well,” said FDNY Chief of Operations John Esposito in his testimony before the council. The bills “could help existing users upgrade their equipment to be newer and safer,” he said.
Lithium batteries are mainly used to power micro-mobility devices like e-bikes and e-scooters. While they’ve become an efficient solution for delivery workers and other groups that rely on them to help them traverse large swaths of the city, without proper maintenance or regulation, they can easily become dangerous explosives during charging, fire officials said.
Esposito explained that the batteries are most likely to spark fires when they are low-quality, mis-matched with a specific model of e-bike or charger, or just damaged in ways that the user doesn’t realize.
Despite the strong support for the bills from council members and the public, questions remain about the logistics of the rollout, the enforcement of e-bike safety, and the complicated logistics surrounding charging.
Last week, the FDNY tested a fire-resistant charging container originally designed for cell phones. The device was unable to withstand the strength of a lithium ion battery fire, and burned up, according to Esposito.
Julian Bazel, fire code counsel for the FDNY, said that the fire department is generally not able to inspect private homes for charging e-bikes unless neighbors complain, making enforcement complicated.
He said the FDNY also has a ways to go to learn about all the different kinds of e-bikes and scooters out there, many of which are illegal.
Councilwoman Gale Brewer, who represents the Upper West Side, asked Esposito and Bazel if they’d made any headway on solutions for charging stations. A proposed charging hub at West 72nd Street and Broadway was recently shot down by Community Board 7, in Brewer’s district.
“I'm going around literally looking for charging stations,” Brewer said, adding that she thought hubs could be added to police and fire stations, but “nobody liked the idea.”
Members of the public who spoke at the City Council meeting or called in virtually emphasized their support for the bills.
Ligia Guallpa, executive director of the Workers Justice Project which represents the city’s nearly 65,000 deliveristas, said low-cost, regulated batteries would be the best way to ensure that the essential workers could keep up with demand while staying safe on the job and at home.
Adam Roberts, policy director for the Community Housing Improvement Program, strongly urged the council to pass the bill.
“It should not be so deadly to be a delivery worker, nor to live or work near them,” he said.
Just last week, a 7-year-old boy and a 19-year-old girl died in a blaze in Astoria as a result of a lithium ion e-bike battery, according to the FDNY.
