After fire kills 3, NYC officials say retailers, delivery apps must do more to ensure ebike safety

NEW YORK: New York City officials are calling on retailers and food delivery companies to take more responsibility for the safety of ebike and escooter batteries, following a deadly fire over the weekend. The fire, which was caused by an electric scooter’s lithium ion battery, killed three people in Brooklyn. Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh accused the private industry of having “blood on their hands” during a news conference on Monday.

The fire, which killed Albertha West, 81, her son Michael West, 58, and her grandson Jamiyl West, 33, broke out on the ground floor of the building and was extensively damaged. The battery that sparked the fire was for a “scooter of some kind,” according to Kavanagh.

City officials have blamed off-market batteries and chargers that don’t meet safety standards for many of the hundreds of fires linked to the lithium ion batteries that power electric bikes and scooters in the city in recent years. They have been lobbying the federal government to strengthen regulations governing the sale of e-bikes and batteries.

However, Kavanagh stressed that retailers such as Amazon and Walmart need to stop selling devices that are not safety certified by a national testing laboratory, and food service apps like Grubhub and Uber Eats need to do more to ensure the safety of their workers who rely on these bikes for their livelihood.

Deputy Mayor for Operations, Meera Joshi, highlighted the delivery industry’s reliance on ebikes and noted that time is money for delivery workers. She pointed out that speed is rewarded in the industry, which often leads to the use of uncertified equipment and risky behavior in order to increase earnings.

Uber and Grubhub, two major food delivery platforms, responded to the city’s calls for action. Uber called for the implementation of a small fee on all food deliveries to help transition the industry to UL certified bikes, while Grubhub urged NYC and Congress to provide safe charging hubs for delivery partners and establish a product safety standard for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries.

Both Walmart and Amazon emphasized their commitment to ensuring the safety and compliance of products sold on their platforms. Walmart expressed zero tolerance for fraudulent sellers or the sale of products with false claims, while Amazon stated their dedication to ensuring their selection meets industry-accepted standards and complying with applicable laws and regulations.