As ebikes proliferate, so do deadly fires blamed on exploding lithium-ion batteries

Federal officials are looking into cracking down on defective lithium-ion batteries that power hoverboards, scooters and motorized bicycles because of a rash of deadly fires caused by exploding batteries. The effort comes as New York City implements new laws meant to reduce the number of fires, injuries and deaths in a city where ebikes have become ubiquitous. — AP

NEW YORK: The explosion early on a June morning ignited a blaze that engulfed a New York City shop filled with motorised bicycles and their volatile lithium-ion batteries. Billowing smoke quickly killed four people asleep in apartments above the burning store.

As the ubiquity of ebikes has grown, so has the frequency of fires and deaths blamed on the batteries that power them – prompting a campaign to establish regulations on how the batteries are manufactured, sold, reconditioned, charged and stored.