E-Bikes and Their Danger to Your Building

What Are E-Bikes?

Electric bikes employ a motor to help the pedaling, reducing the strain of cycling. Some designs enable the bike to advance on the motor’s power

The market for e-bikes is currently experiencing a quite large surge.

They are fantastic modes of transportation for reducing global warming, and they are also highly safe if you only buy high-quality goods. 

If the quality is bad; you get what you paid for. There is a far larger chance that buying batteries that are cheap and available only on the illicit market would end in disaster.

In the last two years alone, e-bikes fires, that are the result of badly maintained or broken lithium-ion batteries, have resulted throughout more than 200 injuries and 10 fatalities in the five boroughs.

During the pandemic, the number of e-bike-related fires increased along with the rise in riders utilizing battery-powered devices to transport takeout using apps like GrubHub and DoorDash. The Fire Department found that 44 fires in 2020 and 104 in 2021 were brought on by malfunctioning e-bike batteries. This year there have been 191 so far.

The following neighborhoods have the ZIP codes with the highest number of fires:

• Corona and Sunnyside in Queens

Sunset Park, Brownsville, and Bushwick in Brooklyn

• Williamsbridge and Morrisania in the Bronx

• Lower East Side in Manhattan

Since January 1, 2021, there have been 14 of these fires within one ZIP code in Corona, which is the most of any ZIP code in the city. An average of one occurs every six weeks.

The fires have severely damaged public housing. 31 e-bike-related fires have occurred in NYCHA homes during the past two years, mostly in Manhattan neighborhoods with several NYCHA housing projects.

If you have an E-Bike, follow these tips from the Fire Department to prevent future e-bike battery fires:

• When gadgets are charging, never leave them alone, and never leave them charging overnight.
• Purchase products that have undergone testing at an accredited facility
• Use only the chargers and batteries that came with your e-bike from the manufacturer.
• Keep batteries away from anything combustible and at room temperature.
• Keep your bike away from exit-blocking doors and windows.