FDNY declares victory in upcoming federal ban on off-brand lithium batteries for e-bikes and scooters

The FDNY on Wednesday celebrated a soon-to-be nationwide ban on the sale of unregulated lithium-ion batteries used in e-bikes and e-scooters — off-brand devices that officials say have caused hundreds of fires throughout New York City in recent years.

The legislation, known as the Setting Consumer Standards for Lithium-Ion Batteries Act, is part of a federal budget deal that would require the Consumer Product Safety Commission to create national safety standards for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries used in micro-mobility devices. It was championed by Sen. Chuck Schumer and other members of the city’s congressional delegation after years of pressing for tighter controls over low-quality batteries.

FDNY Commissioner Robert S. Tucker said the ban was a win for the agency, which he said noticed the lithium-ion battery fire trend ahead of the rest of the nation.

“This is huge and something the FDNY has pushed for for more than two years,” he said. “In fact, we started talking about these batteries and the dangers that they present three years ago, well before anyone else in the country noticed there was a problem … This legislation, when signed into law, will save lives.”

Schumer said in a statement he used “last minute negotiations” to include the ban in the upcoming federal budget.

“The fires and injuries caused by these batteries have resulted in tremendous loss across New York,” he said. “Federal action is needed to protect consumers and our brave firefighters who are on the front lines of this new paradigm in fire prevention spurred by these unpredictable, and often times, very dangerous batteries.”

According to the FDNY, since 2019, lithium ion batteries have caused 929 fires in New York City injuring more than 500 people and causing 33 deaths. Fires from lithium ion batteries are especially dangerous due to how fast they spread , the toxic gases they give off before igniting and their potential to explode, Tucker said.

The City Council passed its own version of a lithium-ion battery ban last year, as did Albany on the state level. But Tucker said the federal ban was needed to clamp down on batteries coming in from nearby states.

“We all know how little it matters if something illegal in New York is in New York City, if you can get it just across the bridge in New Jersey,” Tucker said. “This legislation will finally allow everyone to be on the same page when it comes to the safe use of these devices.”