In case you’ve been following the information on electrical bicycle fires within the US, you’ll already know that New York Metropolis is extensively seen because the epicenter, typically catching headlines for battery fires. Town hosts extra electrical scooters and e-bikes than ever earlier than, and but this yr is seeing a drastic drop in fatalities brought on by battery fires.
So if there are extra battery-powered mobility units on NYC’s streets than ever earlier than, why are the hearth loss of life figures heading in the wrong way?
To begin with, as we’ve typically reported right here on Electrek, the phenomenon of an electrical bicycle hearth, and particularly fatalities from electrical bicycle fires, are exceeding uncommon. They get loads of information protection due to the outdated “if it bleeds (or burns), it leads” adage. However the reality of the matter is that there are tens of millions of e-bikes and e-scooters at present rolling across the US and battery fires are extremely uncommon.
Even in New York Metropolis, which is house to extra of those units than anyplace else within the US, town noticed simply 14 fatalities from dozens of e-bike fires in 2023. That isn’t to say the issue isn’t critical however somewhat to place issues in perspective. New Yorkers are 3-5x extra prone to die from choking or driving the subway than from a battery hearth.
Regardless of that already low fee, 2024 has seen a significant drop in e-bike hearth fatalities. As of final month, simply 4 deaths have been recorded in battery fires, marking greater than a 60% drop in comparison with 2023, in accordance with the New York Instances.
The largest contributing issue to e-bike battery fires is the prevalence of low-quality batteries produced by ultra-budget producers. These batteries may be engaging to shoppers as a result of their considerably decrease costs. Such low cost batteries are generally utilized by supply riders and different low-income employees who depend on their e-bikes for a dwelling, however they arrive with security issues as a result of unscrupulous manufacturing strategies.
New York Metropolis, for its half, has made a significant effort to maintain these batteries out, implementing a ban on mobility units bought with batteries that aren’t UL-compliant. Because the ban started, metropolis inspectors have visited tons of of e-bike shops and battery restore retailers, serving to to implement the ban on non-conforming batteries.
Whereas this hasn’t fully stemmed the tide of poorly-made batteries, it has definitely helped scale back their availability and the variety of cheaply made e-bike batteries out on the road.
NYC has additionally undertaken main instructional applications which have inspired metropolis residents to cost their batteries safely, which means both open air or in fire-protected areas reminiscent of specifically designed charging packing containers, as an alternative of in the lounge of their residences.
Town has partnered with a number of third-party battery cupboard corporations that supply safe locking storage for battery charging and swapping. This allows supply riders and others to securely and rapidly cost their batteries or swap them out for brand new ones.
Such out of doors charging amenities have gotten considerably extra widespread, however are nonetheless uncommon in the USA. Corporations like Beam have debuted solar-powered charging stations for e-bikes, however the requirement to convey their very own wall charger has been a standard criticism of such designs.
Different corporations, reminiscent of Mod Bikes, have debuted e-bike charging stations that present locking storage for the e-bike chargers.
The number of totally different safe charging areas, the crackdown on poorly-made batteries, and the funding in schooling and public consciousness round e-bike fires have probably helped NYC make such a significant discount in e-bike hearth fatalities in simply the previous yr.
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