Applications are now being accepted for a DOT program that will allow delivery drivers–such as the one pictured above–to trade in unregulated e-bikes for safe, UL-approved ones. Photo: Department of Transportation The DOT has begun accepting applications for an e-bike swap program open to delivery workers, as part of the Adams administration’s “Charge Safe, Ride Safe” plan. It allows them to trade in bikes with unregulated lithium-ion batteries for ones with approved batteries–at no cost–that have been “UL-certified,” the widely adopted safety standards developed by Underwriters Laboratories. Specifically, eligible drivers will get a new bike and spare safe battery.
There were a total of 277 fires caused by faulty lithium-ion batteries throughout NYC last year, the FDNY recently announced, killing six people. This is down from 18 such deaths that occurred in 2023. One high-profile faulty-battery blaze that occurred in Harlem last February killed Fazil Khan, a beloved 27-year-old education journalist from Delhi, India.
As the DOT itself noted, unregulated lithium batteries can cause blazes that spread rapidly and are incredibly difficult to contain. Regulated batteries, meanwhile, are safe and power an accessible form of green transit. Uncertified bikes & batteries can combust whether they are being charged or not, with the latter actually occurring in a majority of such fires recorded by the FDNY in 2023.
The Adams administration says it has allocated $2 million toward the swap program, in the hope of trading in 400 unregulated bikes for safe bikes and spare batteries by the end of 2025. It will […]
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