Two individuals died after an e-bike battery exploded in a New York condo on Aug. 3. As e-bikes develop into extra widespread, the issue is rising.
A 5-year-old woman and a 36-year-old girl died Wednesday from an condo fireplace ignited by an exploding e-bike battery, the New York Metropolis Fireplace Division mentioned.
One other particular person — the woman’s father — was left in severe situation, and a firefighter was additionally taken to the hospital, CBS Information reported. The e-bike’s battery began the fireplace proper outdoors the Harlem condo’s entrance door, blocking the household of three from escaping, CBS reported.
FDNY informed GearJunkie Friday that its incident report was nonetheless in progress, and it might make no additional particulars obtainable. Nevertheless, specialists level to getting older or broken batteries and charging gadgets because the most definitely trigger.
It’s not the primary time that exploding e-bike batteries have precipitated lethal fires. In December 2021, one other Manhattan tenant died from a fireplace attributable to an e-bike battery. Now, the New York Metropolis Housing Affiliation is contemplating a ban on “the risky lithium-ion batteries that energy e-bikes, scooters, and hoverboards,” The Metropolis reported.
A Rising Drawback
As the recognition of e-bikes soared over the previous couple of years, so have the studies of fires and accidents attributable to their batteries. In Maryland in 2018, two lithium-ion battery terminals made contact, sparking a two-alarm fireplace that consumed a single-family house. Whereas nobody was harmed, it took 60 firefighters to comprise the blaze.
E-bike batteries have precipitated a number of fires in Vancouver over the past 6 months, The Tyee reported in June.
The identical downside has been rising in London. By June 2022, the town’s fireplace brigade had already seen 32 fires involving e-bikes, Biking Weekly reported. Officers reported one other 17 incidents this yr involving different lithium-ion batteries, the article mentioned.
Improper manufacturing of lithium batteries may contribute to the issue, in response to a security report from the College of Washington. Poorly made batteries could have contaminants that make explosions extra probably, the report mentioned.
For those who personal an e-bike, think about following the report’s solutions for staying protected. Ideas embrace storing batteries away from flamable supplies, buying batteries from a good producer or provider, and conserving one-time-use batteries away from rechargeable ones.
