By Forum Staff
Mayor Eric Adams on Monday 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 the Big Apple. As a part of this accelerator, the City Department of Transportation 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.
And the City Fire Department will launch a $1 million public education and awareness campaign on the dangers of unsafe lithium-ion batteries, following new data showing that 59 percent of 2023’s lithium-ion battery fires started when those batteries were not charging.
“[W]e are doing everything in our power to put a stop to these deadly fires and make use of safe lithium-ion batteries more affordable,” Adams said.
Illegal and unregulated batteries 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.
To address fire safety concerns and promote the safe use of electric micromobility devices, DOT is proposing a rule to expedite approvals for property owners to install electric micromobility device battery swapping and charging cabinets on public sidewalks, which is currently prohibited. This rule will enable property owners, or commercial tenants with the property owner’s consent, to apply for a permit to install a battery swapping and charging cabinet in front of their business on the sidewalk. Each cabinet must comply with specific siting and dimensional requirements and undergo FDNY and Department of Buildings review and approval.
To support this effort, the FDNY will hire additional staff to allow for expedited safety inspections and approvals of equipment for use in Gotham. Once fully staffed, approval decisions are anticipated to take no more than six weeks, with prioritized approvals for new technologies. The City will publish guidance for building owners on how to improve charging safety in their buildings. The FDNY will also update its website to make it easier for companies that sell lithium-ion battery storage and swapping cabinets to receive agency approval.
A public hearing on the administration’s battery swapping and charging cabinets rule will be held online on Aug. 21 at 10 a.m. Applications for the program will open at the end of 2024.
Currently, many food delivery workers utilize uncertified e-bikes and heavier electric and gas-powered mopeds, which cannot be registered with the State Department of Motor Vehicles due to the lack of Vehicle Identification Numbers. DOT’s e-bike trade-in program will focus on exchanging unsafe e-bikes and lithium-ion batteries for new devices. Selected participants will receive a UL-certified e-bike and two compatible, UL-certified batteries in exchange for their unsafe devices and batteries.
The program offers trade-ins of both e-micromobility devices and lithium-ion batteries to help ensure that unsafe batteries and devices are fully removed from city streets and that batteries are compatible with the devices they are powering. Participants must reside in the five boroughs, be at least 18 years of age, own an eligible, working device, and have earned at least $1,500 over the prior year as a food delivery worker to be eligible to participate in the program. Participants will receive two batteries because many delivery workers report that a full day of work often necessitates the use of two batteries.
A public hearing on the administration’s new trade-in program will be held online on Aug. 22 at 10 a.m. Applications for the program will open at in early 2025. The e-bike and battery trade-ins will take place in 2025, using $2 million in funding.
This month, FDNY will launch a $1 million education campaign to further raise public awareness about the historic increase in lithium-ion battery fires in the five boroughs and the dangers that uncertified batteries pose — even when they are not charging. Batteries must be safety certified by a national, accredited testing laboratory, like UL, and should never be repaired but rather replaced.
Of the $1 million, $750,000 will be used for ads online, on subways and buses, on digital kiosks, in targeted newspapers, and on the radio. Translated into 10 languages, these ads will highlight the destructive potential of battery fires and will be strategically placed in neighborhoods that have a high incidence of lithium-ion battery fires. Ads will feature imagery promoting proper battery usage and include QR codes linked to fire safety education tips, including best practices for usage; will include input and safety messaging from agency partners citywide; and will incorporate feedback from delivery workers. The final $250,000 will support educational materials and advanced firefighting equipment, including technology that allows firefighters to safely extinguish fires without opening lithium-ion battery packs.
Adams also noted that FDNY Commissioner Kavanagh has visited Washington, D.C. four times in the past two years to advocate for legislative changes to promote lithium-ion battery safety. On her most-recent trip, she met with bipartisan lawmakers, attended the inaugural World Fire Congress, and participated in a panel with global fire experts to discuss lithium-ion battery safety. Kavanagh also testified before the U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission in July 2023. Subsequently, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 1797, the “Setting Consumer Standards for Lithium-Ion Batteries Act,” which mandates that the CPSC establishes safety standards for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries in devices like e-bikes and e-scooters to prevent fire risks. That bill is expected to be voted on by the Senate by the end of the year.
The Lithium-Ion Battery Task Force — made up of FDNY fire marshals, Bureau of Fire Prevention inspectors, and City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection inspectors — have conducted hundreds of inspections at e-bike and e-bike repair shops throughout the city. More than 1,000 violations, 46 criminal summonses, and 16 vacate orders were issued last year alone. The enactment of Local Laws 39 and 40, which make uncertified lithium-ion batteries illegal, has led to increased enforcement efforts and fewer of these dangerous devices being utilized on New York City streets. FDNY has also produced multiple Public Safety Awareness ads on both digital and television platforms. FDNY Fire Safety Education teams conduct events throughout the city every day, highlighting best practices for lithium-ion battery use, Kavanagh said.
