Governor Kathy Hochul signed a package of eight bills aimed at raising awareness about the safe use of e-bikes and products that contain lithium-ion batteries. The bill package is part of the statewide effort called, “Buy Safe, Charge Safe."
The use of e-bikes has surged in popularity and with that so have many issues including fires. Hochul said, “In New York City alone, lithium-ion batteries have sparked 268 fires that have injured 150 people and claimed 18 lives. Do you know what the number was just a couple of years ago? Zero. Zero people lost their lives.”
The goal of the legislative package is to educate New Yorkers on how to best store and use lithium-ion batteries in hopes of preventing these fires that endanger the consumer but also put firefighters at risk.
The Uniformed Firefighters Association President Andrew Ansbro said, “That the unprecedented increase in fires, serious injuries, and deaths due to unregulated or remanufactured e-bike batteries needed to be addressed.”
“This legislation that prohibits the sale of Lithium batteries that are not up to industry standards will protect the health, safety, and well-being of both New Yorkers and New York Firefighters," Ansbro added.
Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services Commissioner Jackie Bray said, “As the use of these batteries continues to grow, so does the potential for more fires caused by them. New York State Fire has trained nearly 5,000 firefighters statewide on lithium-ion battery emergencies and we will continue to expand these educational tools that will save lives and property.”
This multiagency effort hopes to educate consumers about how to properly purchase, use, charge, and maintain devices with lithium-ion batteries and their potential dangers. The details of each of the eight bills and how they might affect you can be found on the New York State website.