Hochul signs bill package placing greater safety regulations on lithium-ion batteries after fatal fires 

ALBANY — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed into law eight bills aimed at regulating how lithium-ion batteries are sold while increasing emergency responder training and consumer awareness around e-bikes and safe battery use.

The legislative package comes after lithium-ion batteries caused 268 fires in New York City last year killing 18 people and injuring 150 more, Hochul said at the bill signing in Manhattan on Thursday.

Fires sparked by lithium-ion batteries in electronic scooters and bikes, or e-bikes, have occurred statewide and have been on the rise in Nassau and Suffolk counties, including a 5-megawatt battery-storage facility in East Hampton that experienced a fire in May 2023.

“Shoddy lithium-ion batteries have quickly become the most dangerous objects in our city. Without warning they can malfunction, overheat and ignite,” Hochul said. She likened the batteries to grenades, saying they can explode spewing "toxic gas and chemicals everywhere."

The package includes a law prohibiting the sale of batteries or chargers that aren’t certified as safe by an accredited testing lab.

The laws  also require retailers to provide operating manuals for lithium-ion batteries as well as a notice advising consumers to follow traffic laws and yield to pedestrians. Mopeds and e-bikes also must have a red tag attached to their charging cords that advises users to unplug the cord when not in use along with other consumer safety information.

Retailers and manufacturers not in compliance with the laws could face civil penalties and a range of fines from $250 to $500 for an initial violation and up to $1,000 for each subsequent offense. 

The laws have varying effective dates with some effective immediately and others in six months or a year. 

Many e-bikes and other mobility devices use a rechargeable lithium-ion battery containing a flammable electrolyte solution that allows electrical currents to flow. Under certain conditions, such as when they’re overcharged, the batteries can generate more heat than can be dissipated resulting in high temperatures, fire, smoke and in some cases explosions, experts have said.

Last year in Manhattan’s Chinatown, four people were killed inside an e-bike shop that investigators said was caused by a lithium-ion battery explosion, causing a fire that spread to upper-floor apartments.

The new package of laws also directs the state to create safety resources and protocols for lithium-ion fire hazard prevention and hazardous material emergency response training for incidents involving lithium-ion batteries to better prepare firefighters in the event of a battery-caused fire.

The package also included legislation requiring the reporting of accidents involving e-bikes and scooters, as well as the registration of mopeds at the point of sale.

The data will be used to help create informed policies and future legislation around e-bikes and mopeds, Hochul said.

The state legalized e-bikes in 2020, expanding economic and recreational opportunities, as well as contributing to the state’s climate goals, but they’ve come at a cost, Assemb. Alex Bores (D-Manhattan), who sponsored two of the bills said Thursday, “This package of common-sense bills will keep New Yorkers safer from battery fires and collisions,” he said.