Hochul signs bills aimed at preventing e-bike battery fires

Oct 17, 2024

Gov. Kathy Hochul on Thursday signed a package of bills aimed at reducing the risk of e-bike battery fires.

The legislation focuses on e-bike, e-scooter and moped safety standards, as well as the sale, storage and charging of lithium-ion batteries.

The number of e-bikes and e-scooters on city streets has surged since the City Council legalized them in 2020, and with that surge in use has come a surge in fire danger.

Last year alone, the FDNY said 150 people in the city were injured and 18 were killed in fires involving lithium-ion batteries, which power e-bikes and e-scooters.

"Today, we're taking the first steps to extinguish the scourge of lithium-ion battery fires here in New York City," Hochul said at a news conference in Manhattan. “Today is a win for consumer safety, it’s a win for public safety, and no one should ever, ever, worry that an e-bike they use to make a living is also putting themselves, their families and their neighbors in harm’s way.”

The package of legislation includes the following bills, the governor said in a news release:

The FDNY said it investigated 107 fires involving lithium-ion batteries between Jan. 1 and June 24 of this year. Forty-six people were injured and one person was killed, the department said.

In 2022, six people were killed and 147 were injured in lithium-ion battery fires, the FDNY said. Four people were killed and 79 were injured in 2021, according to the department.

At Thursday’s news conference, Hochul noted that lithium-ion batteries “don’t catch on fire like kindlings — they explode like a grenade. They spew toxic gas and chemicals everywhere.”

“No one should fear that the e-bike charging down the hall could go off like a bomb at any moment,” she said. “And no firefighter should ever risk their lives because some cheap manufacturer cutting the corners had to make an extra buck.”

“These new laws will hold reckless battery makers accountable, build awareness on how to handle e-bikes, and also protect our first responders,” she added. “And the bottom line is, we're going to start saving lives.”