NEW YORK (PIX11) — The New York City Council is looking to pass more legislation to save lives from the growing problem of fires caused by e-bike batteries.
The City Council held a moment of silence to remember the latest victims, a 19-year-old woman and a 7-year-old boy killed last week when an e-bike battery exploded into flames at their home in Astoria, Queens.
One proposal would create a program to provide new lithium-ion batteries for bikes and scooters at a reduced cost or no cost at all. The idea is dry up demand for cheap, unsafe batteries.
A second proposal would require businesses to provide workers who use e-bikes for commercial purposes with fireproof or fire-resistant containers to charge their batteries.
Since 2020, there have been more than 400 fires caused by lithium-ion batteries in New York City. There have been 63 lithium-ion battery fires so far this year, killing five people and injuring dozens in New York City.
A month ago, New York City enacted a package of laws designed to stop the deadly spike in e-bike battery fires, but since then two more lives have been lost with 30 more fires.
The New York City Council hopes to pass the new proposals into law quickly.
