Adams Administration Has Made It Nearly Impossible To Build Safe E-Bike Charging Stations - Streetsblog New York City

"The Adams administration is blocking its own effort to build safe outdoor battery-charging infrastructure by making it nearly impossible for companies to install the lithium-ion battery cabinets that city officials have long hyped as a way to reduce fires. In February, the Fire Department changed how it approves new charging cabinets, and, as a result, the companies say they are in a holding pattern because they can't get necessary approvals."

""[The inability to expand] impacts safety because it means that we can't get new cabinets in the ground, and it means that we can't provide an alternative to people charging at home," said Holland Cathey, who leads U.S. expansion for German battery swap and charging cabinet company Swobbee. "People who really want to use our system ... just go further underground. We've heard stories of people charging in closets, because then FDNY can't see the batteries charging, which is really not good.""

"But now, if a company wants to install a commercial e-bike charging cabinet, it needs to meet a new standard created by UL Solutions, the global leader in lithium ion battery safety. The new standard, UL 1487, is a comprehensive test aimed at preventing "thermal runaway," which is a chain reaction that causes the lithium ion batteries used to power e-bikes to blow up and catch fire."

The Adams administration has made it nearly impossible for companies to install outdoor lithium-ion battery charging cabinets designed to reduce e-bike fires. The Fire Department changed its approval process in February, leaving companies unable to obtain necessary approvals. New regulation, lack of agency coordination, expensive application fees and widespread confusion have halted construction of charging infrastructure despite plans to make it a major part of addressing battery fires. Companies report safety impacts as users charge batteries indoors or in closets. Previously the Fire Department accepted Letters of No Objection from OSHA-recognized labs. Now commercial cabinets must meet UL 1487 testing, but labs cannot run the new test.

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