If you've been following the news about electric bike fires in the US, you already know that New York City is widely seen as the epicenter, often grabbing the headlines for battery fires. The city is hosting more electric scooters and bikes than ever before, yet this year saw a drop in battery-related deaths.
So if there are more battery-powered mobile devices on NYC streets than ever before, why are the fire death statistics trending in the opposite direction?
First of all, as we often report here ElectrekThe occurrence of an electric bike fire, and especially a death from an electric bike fire, is extremely rare. They get a lot of news because of the old saying “if it bleeds (or burns), we lead”. But the truth of the matter is that there are millions of e-bikes and e-scooters currently circulating in the US and battery fires are incredibly rare.
Even in New York City, which is home to more of these devices than anywhere else in the US, the city saw just 14 deaths from bicycle fires in 2023. That doesn't mean the problem isn't serious, but rather putting things in perspective. New Yorkers are 3-5 times more likely to die from choking or riding the subway than from a battery fire.
Despite that already low rate, 2024 saw a significant drop in e-bike fire accidents. As of last month, only four people have died in battery fires, marking a drop of more than 60% compared to 2023, according to New York Times.
A major contributing factor to e-bike battery burnout is the prevalence of low-quality batteries produced by high-budget manufacturers. These batteries are attractive to consumers because of their very low prices. Such cheap batteries are often used by delivery riders and other low-wage workers who rely on their e-bikes for a living, but they come with safety concerns due to clumsy manufacturing methods.
New York City, on the other hand, has made a major effort to keep those batteries out of service, implementing a ban on mobile devices sold with non-UL compliant batteries. Since the ban began, city inspectors have visited hundreds of bike shops and battery repair shops, helping to enforce the ban on non-compliant batteries.
While this has not completely stemmed the tide of counterfeit batteries, it has helped reduce the availability and number of cheaply manufactured bike batteries on the road.
NYC has also implemented major education programs that have encouraged city residents to charge their batteries safely, meaning outdoors or in fire-protected areas such as specially designed charging boxes, instead of in their apartment living rooms.
The city has partnered with several third-party battery locker companies that provide secure locker storage for charging and battery exchange. This allows delivery riders and others to safely and quickly charge their batteries or replace them with new ones.
Such outdoor charging stations are becoming more common, but still rare in the United States. Companies like Beam have developed solar-powered charging stations for e-bikes, but the requirement to bring their own wall charger has been a common criticism of such designs.
Some companies, such as Mod Bikes, have developed e-bike charging stations that offer a locking location for bike chargers.
A variety of separate secure charging stations, the crackdown on poorly made batteries, and an investment in education and public awareness about bike fires may have helped NYC make such a dramatic reduction in bike fire accidents in just the past year.
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