US battery safety grouping Soteria Battery Innovation Group has launched a project to investigate fire safety in e-bike batteries. This follows a large number of fires involving lithium-ion batteries in e-bikes and e-scooters in New York City, which has led the city to pass legislation clamping down on uncertified equipment.
Brian Morin, CEO of Soteria, told a webinar on Wednesday that the goal is to reduce the number of fires.
New York City is in the process of passing a range of legislation as part of an action plan to protect against death and injury from e-mobility fires. It covers safe battery use, education and enforcement against high-risk situations.
New York City Councilmember Marjorie Velázquez, chair of the Committee on Consumer and Worker Protection, said in March that last year in New York City, there were over 200 fires caused by lithium-ion batteries. They killed six people and injured nearly 150. “As e-bike and other gadgets that use lithium-ion batteries become more prominent, it’s essential to pass legislation to protect consumers and residents of New York City.”
In 2023, 59 fires and five deaths have already been reported in the city. See our report from March.
Morin said Soteria will contribute $250,000 for the project and is charging participants $2500-7500 to join. It will involve disassembly of new and used e-bike batteries to identify best practices and identify potentially dangerous wear and abuse. They will also interview users and e-bike OEMs about safety and design considerations. The project will produce two reports, on best practice and public education.
On e-bikes, Morin said: “My sense is that very few batteries and battery packs are certified to any safety standard at all.” The webinar heard there is no requirement for US customs to inspect imported e-bikes costing less than $800.
Morin said that while some people are blaming cheap batteries or end-of-life batteries, he is aware of fires involving bikes costing $2500. The question of standards and certification will be addressed in the work. “Whatever’s out there today is either not adequate or not adequately being used. Because the fires are there. What we’re going to do is make sure something changes,” he said.
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission wrote to manufacturers, importers, distributors and retailers of micromobility devices in December 2022 urging them to ensure devices are safety standard compliant. Failure to comply risks potential corrective action, it said.
Image courtesy of Soteria
8.5.23. This article was updated to correct the figure Soteria is contributing. It will contribute $250,000 to the project, not $250 million.
