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E-Bike Batteries Spark Debates

šŸ”„ Battery fires aren't new, but what are the long-term effects on urban infrastructure?

Author

Joseph LeClair
September 15, 2023

Remember when Samsung Galaxies were spontaneously exploding and they had to be recalled? Then the same phenomenon started happening with cheap e-cigarettes and vaporizers, and those started being heavily ā€œregulatedā€ - well, sort of. Now, it seems that weā€™ve been plunged headfirst into a new era where the lithium-ion batteries found in electric micromobility systems are the hot topic.

Remnants of an E-Bike fire. Image Credit: Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service

If you havenā€™t seen the headlines about micromobility battery fires bringing down buildings and causing deaths, all it takes is one Google News search to dive into this can of worms. E-bike battery fires arenā€™t new - theyā€™ve taken the world by storm for the past 5 years, with occurrences in major metropolises from London to Mumbai. However, the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) has by far seen the highest number of instances of battery fires. In 2023, NYC alone reported:

  • 400% increase in e-bike battery fires since 2020

  • 108 total fires (compared to 98 fires at this time in 2022)

  • 13 fatalities (compared to 2 fatalities at this time in 2022)

Why is this happening?

We spent the past year diving into the heart of this issue and have uncovered some alarming realities. Alongside the FDNY, we learned about 4 major contributing factors to why lithium-ion batteries within e-mobility systems are sparking up debate:

  1. Poor manufacturing practices from overseas battery suppliers that fuel cheap production costs

  2. Purchase of these cheap, low-quality systems by users out of desperate need to sustain livelihoods

  3. User malpractice in regards to where and how batteries are charged

  4. Government oversight in enforcing battery safety standards

Whatā€™s being done about it?

Reactively:

  • The FDNY has been leading the charge for fire departments nationwide to adopt more stringent procedures, protocols, and public education campaigns to deal with rising rates of micromobility battery fires

Proactively:

  • The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) identified a major portion of micromobility users to be low-income gig-economy workers who rely on these systems for daily transportation needs. They received a $25M emergency federal grant this summer to engage in a project to build safe charging infrastructure to prevent users from overcharging systems and stop indoor charging practices in densely-packed housing units.

  • NYC Mayor Eric Adams enforced a series of bills to tighten up regulations and import laws as it pertains to low-quality batteries that donā€™t adhere to UL safety standards. NYC and other governments have also adopted more public-facing battery recycling programs and e-bike exchange programs to discourage dissemination of low-quality systems

Impact on the future of urban infrastructure

  • šŸšŽ Social accessibility to personalized transportation

  • āŒ Bringing to light wide-spread infringement on regulations by overseas manufacturers in all forms of technology

  • ā­•ļø Willingness for under-the-radar vendors to break laws and deceive low-income workers in order to profit

  • šŸ  Housing issues as landlords begin banning users of e-mobility systems from leasing with them due to fears of fires

  • šŸŒ† How effective restructuring the urban landscape will be as a long-term solution

  • šŸŒ Capability of our government to identify social problems and execute timely solutions

  • šŸ”§ Repairing the mechanisms that force low-income populations to forgo safety in order to have basic access to transportation

  • šŸ–„ļø Importance of user compliance and safety education with new technologies

Some questions to think aboutā€¦

  • Will the rate of battery fires continue to rise or will more proactive measures be taken?

  • How long will it take for these measures to take effect?

  • Will new policies force low-cost bikes off the market and make the new ā€œcheapestā€ options out of reach for low-income communities?

  • Does banning low-quality systems have an effect on battery fires, or will people still find ways to get their hands on ā€œblack market systemsā€?

  • How drastically will public sentiment change to micromobility if major issues cannot be solved quickly?

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