Charging stations, battery swaps for e-bikes coming to NYC

NEW YORK (PIX11) – New York City is stepping up its fight against deadly lithium-ion battery fires with new safety measures.

You could start to see more e-bike battery charging cabinets in front of homes and buildings by next year, according to officials. Some were already installed as part of a pilot program to keep delivery drivers safe.

Faulty batteries and mismatched charges can spark fires or even explosions, according to the FDNY. There have been more than 700 fires started by e-bikes since 2019, killing 29 people and injuring 450, Mayor Eric Adams said.

Many delivery drivers use bikes to get where they need to go, so banning them isn’t an option, according to Adams.

“These e-mobilities vehicles and bikes, they’re not the enemy. Proper use is what we must do. There’s a real market for these bootleg batteries that we want to zero in on. That is our problem. That’s the enemy. A properly-used battery, a properly-charged battery, has the right functionality,” he said.

Officials also announced a $2 million trade-in program in which delivery workers could swap out their uncertified e-bike batteries.

Property and business owners can apply for permits to install battery charging cabinets by the end of the year.

A virtual hearing on the plan is in August.

Erin Pflaumer is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered both local and national news since 2018 . She joined PIX11 in 2023. See more of her work here .

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