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Electric bike explosions very often in New York: several people have already died

'31.10.2022'

Olga Derkach

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An e-bike or e-scooter battery burns out on average four times a week in New York City. Sometimes it happens outside, but more often it happens while the owner is charging the battery. The edition told in more detail WAMC.

An unsuitable charger does not always turn off automatically when the battery is fully charged and continues to heat up. Or the flammable electrolyte inside the battery cells leaks out of the case and ignites, starting a chain reaction.

"We've seen cases where the explosion was so powerful that it actually took down the walls between rooms and apartments," said Dan Flynn, chief fire chief of the New York Fire Department.

In April, for example, a fire broke out in Brooklyn due to a faulty e-bike or e-scooter battery that caught fire and destroyed two homes.

And there are more and more fires.

The FDNY is currently investigating 174 battery fires, doubling the number of fires last year by 2022 (104) and quadrupling the number of fires compared to 2020 (44). So far this year, six people have died in e-bike-related fires and 93 people have been injured, up from four dead and 79 injured last year.

In early August, a 27-year-old Venezuelan immigrant named Rafael Elias López-Centeno died after his lithium-ion battery caught fire and exploded in the Bronx apartment where he lived. Neighbor Carmen Tiburcio said that Lopez's aunt told her that he tried to escape through the door, but the bike got in the way. Instead, he hid in the bathroom, where he tried to fill the tub with water to protect himself from the fire. But the smoke got to him.

Another danger for the delivery service

Many, if not most, of the New York City fires are linked to e-bike batteries owned by restaurant delivery workers who work long shifts, covering tens of miles a day.

“Bikes tend to wear out due to the weather,” Flynn said. “They really aren’t made for our streets.”

The longer the batteries are used, the longer it takes to fully charge them, and this can take up to 8 hours. This, in turn, makes it difficult for owners to keep an eye on their batteries all the time they are connected to the network, which is the key to security.

On the subject: Attacks and crime make New Yorkers afraid to ride the subway – they are increasingly renting scooters or bicycles

Plus, new batteries are expensive, and it's tempting to buy a less expensive remanufactured battery—especially for couriers who make an average of $12,21 an hour.

Several e-bike owners interviewed in New York said they are aware of the risks associated with batteries and have taken steps to mitigate them.

“A lot of guys have four, five, six bikes in their apartment, and they swap chargers for different bikes if it doesn’t belong to that bike,” said Rafael Cardanales, who lives on the Lower East Side. “You can’t just use any charger.”

Musfiqur Rahman said that when he first got into the shipping business, he bought two new Arrow-branded batteries for $550 each. He did it on purpose to avoid fires.

“As far as I know, this brand has never been involved in such incidents,” said the 27-year-old immigrant from Bangladesh.

The FDNY reports that most batteries are so destroyed by fire when tested that they cannot conclude which brand is safer than another.

The FDNY began posting videos on social media warning about the dangers of overcharging lithium-ion batteries.

live in tight quarters

E-bike-related fires have occurred in other locations such as London, San Francisco, Michigan and Florida. But nowhere are they more worried than in New York, perhaps due to the predominance of apartment living, as well as a large number of delivery orders.

While restaurants sometimes store bikes overnight for employees, few people work at specific restaurants and many more work for themselves, using apps like Door Dash or Uber Eats to connect with customers. And these couriers often have no other place to store and recharge their e-bikes than in their apartments.

Which, in turn, creates a fire hazard not only for them, but also for their neighbors. This summer, the New York City Housing Authority proposed a ban on electric bikes and batteries in 2600 buildings. But the proposal caused a storm of indignation, and the officials did not go for it.

The city council members proposed their solutions. For example, one bill prohibits the sale of used batteries within city limits. Another requires all batteries sold to be approved by a national testing agency such as Underwriters Laboratories. Mayor Eric Adams recently announced that he will spend $1 million to build courier hubs with charging stations and other amenities, although they are likely to be used during the day and will not provide overnight charging.

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