The New York City Council passed a bill Thursday that will see the creation of a first-in-the-nation trade-in program to swap out volatile e-bike batteries with new ones that are certified as safe.
Intro 949A, sponsored by Council Majority Leader Keith Powers (D – Manhattan), aims to reduce the prevalence of deadly, out-of-control fires sparked by the lithium-ion batteries powering e-bikes, which have injured 96 people and killed 14 in New York City so far this year.
“These fires damage homes, they displace families, and lead to far too many devastating injuries and deaths across our city,” Powers said ahead of a vote in the Council’s Fire & Emergency Management Committee Thursday to approve the bill. “And I think we’re all here today with the same goals: to prevent these fires, get unsafe batteries off the streets and out of our homes, and to save lives.”
