For those who’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, usually catching headlines for battery fires. The town hosts extra electrical scooters and e-bikes than ever earlier than, and but this 12 months is seeing a drastic drop in fatalities attributable to battery fires.
So if there are extra battery-powered mobility units on NYC’s streets than ever earlier than, why are the fireplace demise figures heading in the other way?
Initially, as we’ve usually 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 previous “if it bleeds (or burns), it leads” adage. However the truth of the matter is that there are tens of millions of e-bikes and e-scooters at the moment rolling across the US and battery fires are extremely uncommon.
Even in New York Metropolis, which is dwelling to extra of those units than wherever 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 moderately to place issues in perspective. New Yorkers are 3-5x extra more likely to die from choking or using the subway than from a battery hearth.
Regardless of that already low fee, 2024 has seen a serious 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 could be enticing to shoppers resulting from 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 residing, however they arrive with security considerations resulting from unscrupulous manufacturing strategies.
New York Metropolis, for its half, has made a serious effort to maintain these batteries out, implementing a ban on mobility units offered with batteries that aren’t UL-compliant. Because the ban started, metropolis inspectors have visited a whole bunch of e-bike shops and battery restore retailers, serving to to implement the ban on non-conforming batteries.
Whereas this hasn’t utterly 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 academic packages which have inspired metropolis residents to cost their batteries safely, that means both outdoor or in fire-protected areas comparable to specifically designed charging containers, as an alternative of in the lounge of their residences.
The town has partnered with a number of third-party battery cupboard firms that supply safe locking storage for battery charging and swapping. This permits supply riders and others to securely and rapidly cost their batteries or swap them out for brand new ones.
Such out of doors charging services have gotten considerably extra frequent, however are nonetheless uncommon in america. Corporations like Beam have debuted solar-powered charging stations for e-bikes, however the requirement to deliver their very own wall charger has been a typical criticism of such designs.
Different firms, comparable to Mod Bikes, have debuted e-bike charging stations that present locking storage for the e-bike chargers.
The number of completely different safe charging areas, the crackdown on poorly-made batteries, and the funding in training and public consciousness round e-bike fires have possible helped NYC make such a serious discount in e-bike hearth fatalities in simply the previous 12 months.
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