Ebike deaths in NYC

neutron

Active member
Joined
Dec 6, 2022
Messages
178
Anybody else see the article on Fox this morning about ebikes in New York City? They said 150 people have been killed by ebike battery fires. Many more injured. It did mention that these fires were from repackaged batteries. I wonder what kind of laws they will pass to try and fix this? Sorry, I can't find the link to the article now.
 
That wasn't Fox News you linked to, it was Men's Journal. Fox said 11 dead over the last few years.
 
Anybody else see the article on Fox this morning about ebikes in New York City? They said 150 people have been killed by ebike battery fires. Many more injured. It did mention that these fires were from repackaged batteries. I wonder what kind of laws they will pass to try and fix this? Sorry, I can't find the link to the article now.
With these types of batteries, there has to be a certain level of responsibility. When charging, the charger itself does get hot. I place my charger on a baker’s cooling rack so it’s not in direct contact with carpet or flooring that uses an adhesive to install. I also don’t put it on charge and go to bed or leave my residence. I only charge while I am at home and if I have to leave, it gets unplugged.
 
I live and work in NYY metro.
Majority of buildings in NYC 5 boro have electric wiring that are nearly 100 y-o.
Combined with modern electric appliances (instead of gas stove, heater or dryer) that demand more electrical load on the 100 y-o wiring.
I doubt these batter fires are to blame for actual cause of these fires in NYC.
You are far more likely to get hit or killed by cars on ebike than your e-bike battery catch on fire.
I have talked to firemen at the scene of the fire in NYC Chinatown,
I asked them what they think the cause of the fire might be.
Answer I got was old wiring in the building.
Sure, it's easier to blame the manufactures for poor products when you see reports from media that have never spoken to the manufacturer about their processes.
It's easier to regulate the manufacture than to educate the end users.
In the US, people seem to be demanding of manufactures for all things that go wrong with the product.
Regulated or not, if (ANY, if not most) product fail at the end user, end user is likely to have some responsibility to the failure.
 
Perspective is always important.......in 1895....it is estimated that on any given day....there were up to 200,000 horses on the streets of New York City. More people killed or injured back then....compared to modern traffic today. They say the fatality rate in the horse era was 75% higher than it is today. Ebike batteries aren't really too bad in the overall scheme of things. Plus.....ebikes don't drop 35 to 45 lbs of manure everyday and pee 5.5 gallons a day like the average adult horse. Ride safe all!
 
Anybody else see the article on Fox this morning about ebikes in New York City? They said 150 people have been killed by ebike battery fires. Many more injured. It did mention that these fires were from repackaged batteries. I wonder what kind of laws they will pass to try and fix this? Sorry, I can't find the link to the article now.
That can't be right did you verify that information?
 
Who do you blame, you can only blame humans.

1. Don't charge them at night or when you sleep
2. Don't buy cheap unbranded rubbish
3. Use only the charger that comes with the battery
4. Stop altering and buggering about with the bike and wiring

That will stop almost all problems.
 
They did a study in the UK on battery fires. Many were related to delivery services doing aggressive charging of their bike batteries at a higher rate. This allowed the services to do more deliveries per day. The second biggest cause was inferior grade bargain batteries being used. The UK has since responded by banning the importation of at least one battery brand.

This study focused ONLY on battery fires, and not fires from ancient electrical wiring found in some buildings.
 
When they report this stuff, it is important that they Always point out that 99% - or perhaps 100% - of these batteries are people doing DIY stuff, or, buying questionable garbage from Ali Express.

I don't know of any incidents for batteries from any of the well known brands.

It makes everyone fearful, when, this is all probably a whole lot safer than it sounds.

I recently brought my wife's bike to a local shop - to swap in a hydraulic brake kit. When I picked up the bike, he told me he can't leave batteries in bikes in his shop overnight. He has to remove them and remove them from the premises - per insurance company mandate.
 
Back
Top