NYC PSA E-bike Battery Fires 11/11/22 NBC News

[J.R.]

…the backlash continues, this is what I feared and I hope this action does not take off, but Universities tend to follow one another on safety issues. I note Fordham U is not on the Bicycle League’s list of bicycle friendly universities (BFU), but neither is my University employer. The League of American Bicyclists should incorporate building safe battery charging facilities into it’s BFU program.

In other news BRAIN reported in July the NBDA visited Underwriters Laboratory "to discuss safe charging and storage for lithium batteries and establish a national registry of e-bike brands that are UL 2849 certified" Source

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1601066983457320960

We are not ready to transform all our transportation to electric. Financially, infrastructure, safety, power grid, sustainability are all lacking to fully support EV's. Not to mention North America is not willing to mine materials for batteries. We are just not ready and trying to force it now will hurt a lot of people. I thought we would be ready by now, but like most people I didn't account for all these issues. The media has mostly championed EV's, without going into all the downsides.

 

[Dewey]

BRAIN reports the Chair of the US Consumer Product Safety Commission has written a letter to ebike importers to the US telling them to comply with UL standards 2272 & 2849.

Responding to the letter on Reddit the Bikes Direct CEO posted the Gravity, Motobecane, and Mango brands he imports from Taiwan are UL certified.

 

[Extreme1]

A lot of the RC helicopter guys use a charging bunker make out of cement blocks. They are readily available at Lowes and Home Depot and are cheap.

 

[Dewey]

Interesting public battery charging locker implementation in NY Ooneepod

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1600564959297028127

 

[Dewey]

BRAIN report NYC Council Member Robert Holden has introduced a bill to make ebikes and scooters illegal until manufacturers address battery safety. The bill has been sent to the NYC Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. The Councilman represents Queens 30th District that is where the advocacy group "Safer Charging for Concerned Citizens for Battery Swapping" is located.

 

[Dewey]

BRAIN article reporting a split between People for Bikes and the National Bicycle Dealers Association on their respective approaches to how government should regulate the ebike electrical system.

 

[mschwett]

A lot of the RC helicopter guys use a charging bunker make out of cement blocks. They are readily available at Lowes and Home Depot and are cheap.

i was really into heavy lift drones before e-bikes. those batteries were just bricks (literally) of battery material, tabbed together, NO BMS or balancing or cutoffs. all the balancing and safety was done by the charger. dangerous as ****

i didn’t have a charging bunker but i used lead lined bags and charged them in a concrete below grade parking garage.

 

[6zfshdb]

Charge in a fireplace, if you have one.

 

[Allan47.7339]

Recent article. Check the wall O' batteries photos. Yikes.

FDNY, Sheriff's Office inspection reveals hundreds of battery charging, storage violations at shops

NEW YORK (BRAIN) — After another fire in the city Friday that officials say was caused by a lithium-ion battery, FDNY and sheriff's office officials inspected five Manhattan bike shops and other locations and found improper storage and charging of hundreds of batteries and dozens of e-mobility...

www.bicycleretailer.com

 

[Dewey]

BRAIN report NYC Council passed a law this week banning the sale of non-UL certified ebikes and batteries, and bans the sale of used and rebuilt ebike batteries. A follow up article on what this will mean for retailers.

 

[Dewey]

Streetsblog report Uber will fund an e-bike buy-back program for NYC delivery riders, enabling them to swap a non-UL-certified e-bike for a discounted UL-certified e-bike..

 

[Asher]

Ebike leasing startup wins venture funding for NYC expansion

Whizz Raises $3.4 Million For Its E-Bike Subscriptions

E-bike subscription start-up Whizz has raised $3.4 million in a new funding round to serve the last-mile delivery sector.

www.forbes.com

 

[J.R.]

Battery fires, safety and cheap imports have reached the U.S. Congress.

4/24/2023
"Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Rep. Ritchie Torres are pushing to pass legislation requiring federal regulation of cheap, Chinese-made lithium-ion batteries known for shortcutting."

City officials push for legislation regulating sale of lithium-ion batteries known for shortcutting

The FDNY says the batteries have been the cause of many e-bike and scooter fires throughout the city.

bronx.news12.com

 

[Dewey]

BRAIN report a summary of the CPSC hearing on lithium battery regulations on 7/27/23

 

[Art Deco]

BRAIN report a summary of the CPSC hearing on lithium battery regulations on 7/27/23

About freaking time ...

 

[Dewey]

BRAIN report NYC Council passes two-year funding for an e-bike/battery exchange/trade-in program

 

[Art Deco]

Well, more battery legislation is coming, but somehow there's no public money available for safer batteries nor much interest from the big technology companies in funding the idea...

Feds One Step Closer to Requiring Safety Standards for Lithium-ion Batteries - Streetsblog New York City

Safety standards are fine, but the responsibility for securing better power packs will still fall on the lowest-paid workers in our city.

nyc.streetsblog.org

 

[Dorkyman]

Very good article over on a competitor's website, "Electric Bike Report." I enjoy reading both websites.

The Real Story Behind Electric Bike Battery Fires

What is happening with e-bike fires in NYC, how you can stay safe, and what should the industry do to minimize risks moving forward As the e-bike market has grown and micromobility has expanded to include not just e-bikes, but e-scooters, e-mopeds, one-wheels and hoverboards, more and more

electricbikereport.com

Basically, NEVER buy a cheap, non OEM battery, or rebuild with anything but Grade A cells (LG, Panasonic, etc). And soon, all battery imports will have to display the UL logo and meet the 2271 certification (which covers only the Ebike battery, but that's where nearly all the fires start). There have been lots of deaths in NYC caused by lithium fires, surprisingly many of them not from ebikes but instead with scooters.