DOT: E-Bike Charge Pilot, Meant to Combat Unregulated Battery Fires, Is Raging Success

Since March, NYC’s Department of Transportation has been running a pilot e-bike charging program for deliveristas, and the agency now claims that the program has been a wild success so far. The program has led thousands of people to swap unregulated lithium batteries for regulated ones, reducing the risk of catastrophic residential fires. Deliverista advocacy groups hailed the program, as they risk being caught up in faulty battery fires that start at home.

In June, the FDNY revealed the grim yearly data on fires from improper lithium batteries: 60 fires and five deaths in 2024, compared to 216 fires and six deaths in 2023. That’s certainly a reduction in lithium-related fires, but not a meaningful reduction in deaths. Unregulated e-bike batteries are being sold at mega-corporations and tiny shops alike, a May report published in The CITY found, and public charging stations are one way to help deliveristas ditch dangerous products.

E-bike safety bills have also advanced through both state and federal legislatures, and are heartily welcomed by the FDNY. Laura Kavanagh, who stepped down as FDNY Commissioner this week, was instrumental in leading the national campaign and tougher federal push.

In February, 25 year-old journalist Fazil Kahn–who moved from India to pursue his passion–was killed when a fire sparked by a faulty lithium-ion battery in an e-bike erupted. He lived on the floor above the apartment where the conflagration began, encapsulating how quickly such fires spread. Last year, eight of the city’s 18 fire deaths tied to faulty lithium-ion batteries occurred in Manhattan, including four related to a blaze in Chinatown.

The pilot, one plank of Mayor Eric Adams’s “Charge Safe, Ride Safe” initiative, will run for one more month. It takes place at five locations citywide (the Manhattan stations are located at Cooper Square, Essex Market, and the Plaza De Las Americas). Locations were selected based on their high delivery traffic. Three companies that make charging equipment are participating in the pilot: Swobbee, Swiftmile, and Popwheels.

A total of 120 participants, 83 percent of whom work in Manhattan, are involved in the pilot. An overall total of 8,000 batteries have been swapped at the pilot stations, the DOT said, and “1,000 on-site e-bike charges” have been made. On average, users have swapped their batteries between eight and 14 times per week, and engaged in five to eight sessions per week. No hazardous fires have been reported at any of the charging sites.

“Delivery workers have one of the toughest jobs in New York City, and our public e-bike charging pilot program is helping them safely charge their bikes while they’re on the go,” DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodrgiuez said.

The aforementioned charging equipment companies expressed joy at the advertised results. David Hammer, a co-founder of PopWheels, said that “the battery-fire crisis plaguing NYC is solvable, and we’re thrilled to see results showing that it can be done while improving the lives of the delivery workers who serve as the backbone of the city.”

Ligia Guallpa, the executive director of Workers Justice Project/Los Deliveristas Unidos, said that “the success of this initiative over the past five months demonstrates the need for the expansion of safe e-bike charging throughout New York City. We look forward to working together with NYC DOT to continue to deliver solutions to improve working conditions for 60,000 delivery workers in New York City.”

“In the face of the ongoing fire crisis linked to lithium-ion batteries, we look forward to seeing more investment in outdoor, e-bike charging infrastructure,” New York City Food Delivery Movement rep. Sergio Solano added.