New York — Following a series of fires linked to faulty e-bike batteries, including the most recent one that claimed four lives, New York City officials announced on Sunday that they would need to fund several charging stations across the city. is receiving a $25 million emergency grant from the federal government.
Mayor Eric Adams hopes the stations will provide a safe way for delivery workers, who rely on e-bikes to do their jobs efficiently, to recharge the lithium batteries used to power their bicycles Can do
“This means residents will no longer need to charge e-bikes in their apartments – which we find extremely dangerous, especially when you charge them overnight,” Adams told a news conference on Sunday. He was accompanied by the state’s two US senators who helped secure funding from the US. transport Department.
The announcement comes after a lithium-ion battery fire engulfed an e-bike shop in Manhattan’s Chinatown. The fire and thick smoke spread to the apartments above the shop, killing four people and injuring three others, including a firefighter.
In the days that followed, New York City officials asked for the public’s help in cracking down on unsafe e-bike shops, and fire officials issued at least 10 citations to shops for improper maintenance of batteries.
City officials said they previously fined the store for lax e-bike charging practices, although inspectors reportedly did not check to see if the store was selling recently repaired batteries.
Under the new guidelines, fire officials will be instructed to respond to complaints about e-bike batteries within 12 hours instead of the earlier policy of three days.
New York City has had more than 100 fires involving e-bikes this year and 13 deaths, more than doubling the total from last year, officials said.
The city has issued nearly 500 citations related to e-bikes, which can result in fines of between $1,000 and $5,000.
Batteries can overheat if damaged or improperly charged.
Adams announced in March that the city was working to install charging stations. This grant will finance an initial 170 charging units in approximately 50 locations.
Senate Majority Leader, New York Senator Chuck Schumer, said during the press conference that charging stations have proven to be the “new hope” for stopping “these fires starting from substandard China-made lithium-ion batteries and chargers.”
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand said she and Schumer were working on legislation to establish safety standards for the batteries.
“If passed,” she said, “it would remove improperly manufactured batteries from the market.”
