After fires and fatalities: New York bans numerous e-bikes from the city

The city of New York has an e-bike problem. The motor-assisted bicycles are extremely popular in the metropolis as in many places around the world.

But the manufacturers’ price wars have meant that not only high-quality e-bikes that have been developed with numerous safety aspects in mind are on the road.

Many e-bikes are used by delivery services whose drivers work in the low-wage sector and sometimes on their own account. This clientele usually relies on particularly cheap e-bike models or clones of well-known models. Then sometimes test certificates and other security features are missing.

According to the US magazine Electrek, this year there were 13 deaths in connection with e-bikes that did not meet current safety regulations. The city of New York now wants to put a stop to the import of such cheap bikes.

The problem is often non-certified batteries that catch fire. As Fortune reports, the US city wants to achieve a general import ban on e-bikes with lithium-ion batteries that do not meet UL certification. The trade in used and refurbished batteries is also to be made more difficult or prevented altogether.

Salty roads a problem

In the past, salt on winter roads has proven to be a problem for e-bike batteries on New York’s streets. The salt penetrates poorly sealed batteries, which can lead to a short circuit and ultimately to a fire.

In contrast to the tightened import regulations, safe e-bike riding is to be improved, among other things, through certified charging stations. There is now a budget of 25 million US dollars for this. We present you the e-bike trends of the year at this point.

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