Bike batteries are back in the spotlight in New York after the deadly fire that broke out a few days ago. A real problem in the city of skyscrapers that is also beginning to generate concern among the European authorities due to the obvious security problem caused by the modifications that many users make to their electric bikes and other mobility vehicles to achieve greater benefits and autonomy.
The arrival of electric bicycles and personal mobility vehicles to city traffic, although it has been a breath of fresh air for cities that are increasingly crowded with vehicles, has also have caused a lot of problems like those who have been suffering for some years in New York due to fires caused by lithium batteries of dubious origin.
The latest one, just a couple of days ago, occurred in an apartment building in the Queens borough, taking the lives of a 7-year-old boy and his 19-year-old sister who were trapped on the second floor of the building after the violent explosion that occurred in an electric bike that was being charged in the lobby of the building.
A situation that is repeated in the Big Apple with 220 fires caused by this cause over the past year and that produced 6 deaths and 147 injuries. In fact, so far in 2023 alone, the New York fire department has already reported 59 fires caused by lithium batteries.
An accident rate that is associated with the acquisition of batteries through the internet without the necessary approvals and to the modifications that many users make to their bikes and scooters, either to bypass the assistance limitations imposed by the legislation or to achieve greater autonomy in their vehicles and that has led the New York authorities to even propose a ban on bikes electric scooters and scooters and establish control measures on the battery market.
A concern that has also reached Europe, which is beginning to be aware of the need to toughen regulations regarding the sale of lithium batteries and repair of the same that, like any of the aforementioned manipulations, is also associated with the fires produced by them.
In any case, it is worth remembering the safety recommendations associated with these electric vehicles, beginning by always purchasing products that have the proper approvals. In addition, we must carefully read the indications described in the vehicle and battery manual about the allowed operating temperature ranges, storage method and, above all, charging procedure.
