Electric bikes, which are rapidly growing in popularity, pose an increasing safety risk because of fast-spreading fires sparked by the lithium ion batteries that power them.
The growing danger is prompting some lawmakers to push for tighter regulations of the batteries and the bikes.
Experts blame the fires on faulty batteries sold in low-quality, inexpensive electric bikes. The flawed batteries have been particularly deadly in New York City, where tens of thousands of residents use electric bikes and sometimes leave them charging overnight in apartments.
If an e-bike battery overheats and explodes, the fire spreads quickly and is difficult to extinguish.
“If you put water on it, it’s not going to die like other fires,” said K.M. Abraham, a research professor at the Northeastern University Center for Renewable Energy Technologies.
Mr. Abraham, who helped develop lithium battery technology, told The Washington Times that the electric bike fires are likely triggered by poor-quality batteries that overcharge, become overheated and then explode.
Mr. Abraham said e-bikes should not be charged overnight or left unsupervised inside residences.
Lithium batteries are generally safe despite the combustion risk. These batteries also have ignited fires in electric cars, smartphones and laptop computers.
Industry experts say the fire hazard in electric bikes is mostly from lithium batteries manufactured with lower standards and installed in electric bikes to cut costs. The less-expensive bikes are often purchased by unsuspecting consumers, such as food delivery workers, who may be unable to afford higher-cost, name-brand varieties.
On June 20, a faulty battery in a New York City electric bike repair shop caught fire overnight. The fire tore through the apartment building above it, killing four people and seriously injuring several others.
The tragedy raised the number of New York City deaths caused this year by electric bike battery fires to 13, more than three times the number of such deaths in 2021.
The growing popularity of bikes, particularly in big cities, has caused the number of battery-related fires to skyrocket. The number of e-bike fires is on course to rise from last year in New York City, according to statistics provided to The Washington Times by the New York City Fire Department.
The fire department investigated 220 e-bike fires last year. So far this year, the department has investigated 114 fires thought to be ignited by e-bikes.
The U.S. has little power to fully regulate lithium batteries that power “micromobility” devices.
Consumer Product Safety Commission reports from 2021 through November 2022 showed 208 fires in 39 states, resulting in 19 fatalities. All were traced to the batteries that power electric bikes and other micromobility devices, such as electric scooters and hoverboards.
Commissioners called on manufacturers this year to comply with voluntary safety standards to help reduce the fire risk.
Yet the commission does not have sufficient authority to enforce the requirement, said Light Electric Vehicle Association founder and Chairman Ed Benjamin.
“I think we probably have to have an act of Congress to give the CPSC the teeth” to regulate the batteries, Mr. Benjamin said.
House lawmakers appear to lean on the Consumer Product Safety Commission to ramp up enforcement.
House lawmakers representing New York City have written to the commission to call for immediate enforcement and action against manufacturers of batteries that fall short of minimum safety standards.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission is just now developing regulations for e-bikes, more than two decades after Congress granted it the authority to do so.
The commission voted in May to accept public comments on whether its existing regulations adequately address the safety of e-bikes and the batteries that power them.
“More than twenty years ago, Congress authorized CPSC to promulgate regulations to protect the safety of consumers who ride low-speed electric bicycles,” Commissioner Mary T. Boyle said. “The agency has not done so, and it is past time that we take a hard look at whether we should do so now.”
More than 1 million e-bikes were imported to the U.S. last year, and about 5 million are in use.
“The electric bike is something that has utility for Americans,” Mr. Benjamin said. “It really has utility for people living in dense cities.”
In New York City, which has more electric bikes than any other city, Mayor Eric Adams signed legislation in March requiring e-bike and e-scooter batteries to meet industry safety standards. The legislation banned the resale of bikes and batteries and restricted reconditioning of e-bike batteries.
Firefighters, meanwhile, are grappling with a surge in lithium ion battery fires exacerbated by a lack of public awareness about the risks they pose.
Putting out the fires is a challenge, experts said.
Plastic casing lengthens the time it takes to extinguish a lithium ion battery fire, allowing it to spread. The flames produce toxic fumes.
“It’s a great big hurdle for the fire protection industry,” Brian O’Connor, a fire protection engineer at the National Fire Protection Association, told The Times. “They’re just unique hazards that we’re not used to dealing with.”
• Susan Ferrechio can be reached at sferrechio@washingtontimes.com.
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