New York Metropolis has been experiencing numerous fires currently.
Only a month in the past, a sudden blaze consumed an condo in Brooklyn, killing three folks. The hearth was attributed to an e-bike’s lithium-ion battery — and it’s not the primary time. This yr, the New York Metropolis Fireplace Division has recorded 243 fires, 124 accidents, and 17 deaths associated to e-bike batteries.
But the issue isn’t restricted to New York. Lethal e-bike fires have now occurred all over the world, from San Francisco to London to Australia. Many private and non-private organizations have known as for elevated regulation to deal with the issue.
That hasn’t stopped some New York landlords from banning e-bikes from their buildings, preferring to keep away from the danger altogether. If the fires proceed, that worry of e-bikes will solely turn into extra prevalent, mentioned Bob Passmore, a division vp on the American Property Casualty Insurance coverage Affiliation.
“These fires can occur anyplace, not simply in high-density areas,” Passmore instructed GearJunkie. “What number of occasions like it will it take earlier than it impacts property homeowners typically? It’s arduous to say. However we all know it’s a major concern.”
Truth verify NYC Fireplace Code relating to e-bikes
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‘It’s the Battery’
To be clear, e-bikes themselves aren’t an issue.
However a lot of their lithium-ion batteries, additionally present in laptops and smartphones, have the potential to overheat or malfunction, even when not actively charging. That may ignite fast-spreading fires with little warning. In some cases, batteries have erupted in flames whereas positioned near doorways or home windows, typically trapping folks inside their flats.
For landlords, that has resulted in extra prices from insurance coverage corporations involved about the issue, mentioned Michael Johnson, the communications director for the Neighborhood Housing Enchancment Program, which advocates for hundreds of homeowners of rent-stabilized properties in New York.
“Storing the bikes actually isn’t an issue. It’s the battery factor,” Johnson mentioned. “The very best answer can be a multi-prong technique for ensuring we’re charging e-bike batteries safely … however I don’t assume there’s a easy repair.”
Johnson mentioned the dearth of presidency intervention has led to increased insurance coverage premiums — already an issue in a metropolis with skyrocketing housing and insurance coverage costs. So it shouldn’t be stunning that some landlords would attempt to keep away from permitting the storage of e-bikes on their properties.
“Inexpensive housing in New York is seeing probably the most vital will increase in insurance coverage premiums, and people are the locations with staff extra more likely to have e-bikes,” Johnson mentioned.
“We don’t view this as a tenant-versus-property-owner situation. We expect the federal government must step in with some degree of coverage to verify these buildings are protected and the tenants have entry to e-bikes if they should.”
Laws and Security Certifications
Some federal companies and native governments have begun taking steps to curb e-bike fires by regulation.
In September, New York Metropolis banned the sale of uncertified e-bikes and began a trade-in program to supply licensed batteries totally free or at low price. A yr in the past, the U.S. Client Product Security Fee known as on producers, retailers, and distributors of e-bikes to adjust to requirements from UL Options, which certifies merchandise for security.
However even at bike retailers that solely promote licensed batteries, the worry of fires and fear about landlords has began to impression gross sales, The Gothamist reported.
“We’re preventing uphill in opposition to negativity,” Shane Corridor, who works at Bicycles NYC, mentioned within the story. “I’ve had some purchasers, sadly, that needed to promote their bikes as a result of the constructing mentioned, ‘OK, nice, I’m glad your bike’s protected, however we’re not permitting anyone’s bikes in.’”
What Bike Homeowners Can Do
For shoppers, guaranteeing their e-bike’s battery has acquired a security certification is step one to stopping a hearth. Security certification organizations like UL Options enable e-bike makers to incorporate a label exhibiting the product has undergone testing, for instance.
“We would like folks to buy high-quality gadgets,” Chief Fireplace Marshal Dan Flynn mentioned in a November launch. “Be certain they’ve been licensed at a acknowledged testing laboratory akin to UL. Don’t go for the most affordable product.”
If bike producers and authorities officers can’t work out tips on how to regulate the batteries, the hazard of e-bikes will solely improve, mentioned Heather Mason, president of the Nationwide Bicycle Sellers Affiliation.
“The bicycle business must take quick motion,” Mason mentioned. “If we don’t handle the core situation, we might even see this propel to one thing past our management.”
