By Forum Staff
Mayor Eric Adams recently announced final rules governing the City’s first-in-the-nation municipal trade-in pilot program for unsafe electric bikes and other electric-powered mobility devices and their batteries.
The rules will allow eligible food delivery workers to replace their unsafe devices with certified, high-quality e-bikes and lithium-ion batteries. The program is part of the Adams administration’s “Charge Safe, Ride Safe: New York City’s Electric Micromobility Action Plan” to promote public safety as e-bike usage continues to skyrocket and will help reduce the risk of deadly e-bike fires, often caused by uncertified lithium-ion batteries, as well as enhance street safety by getting faster and heavier illegal mopeds off city streets.
Currently, many food delivery workers utilize uncertified e-bikes and heavier electric and gas-powered mopeds, which cannot be registered with the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles due to the lack of Vehicle Identification Numbers. DOT’s e-bike trade-in program — the nation’s first municipal program of its kind — will focus on exchanging unsafe e-bikes and lithium-ion batteries for new devices. The $2 million trade-in program was established in response to Local Law 131 of 2023, sponsored by Councilman Keith Powers (D-Manhattan). The e-bikes provided will be UL-certified, the nationally-recognized standard for e-bike safety and performance. Selected participants will receive a UL-certified e-bike and two compatible, UL-certified batteries in exchange for their unsafe devices and batteries. By swapping these illegal devices for UL-certified e-bikes and batteries, the program will reduce fire and crash risks, help participants comply with local and state laws, and encourage workers to utilize cleaner and greener forms of e-mobility for deliveries.
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 New York City streets, and that batteries are compatible with the devices they are powering. Eligible participants must reside in New York City, be at least 18 years of age, own an eligible working device, and have earned at least $1,500 in 2024 as a food delivery worker. Participants will receive two batteries because many delivery workers report that a full day of work often requires the use of two batteries. DOT will launch a public awareness campaign to share more details about the program among eligible applicants, who can start to apply in early 2025.
“Fires caused by lithium-ion batteries have already taken far too many lives in our city, so we need to do all we can to prevent further tragedies,” said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. “The trade-in program now being launched will take uncertified and unsafe e-bikes and lithium-ion batteries out of service so they will no longer be a threat to the public. I encourage all those eligible for this program to take advantage of it and do their part to keep our city and its residents safe.”
At this time last year, New York City had experienced 224 lithium-ion battery-related fires resulting in 122 injuries and 14 deaths. So far, in 2024, there have been 222 fires, 88 injuries, and four fatalities caused by lithium-ion batteries, according to administration officials.
