"On Tuesday, the Department of Transportation issued a laudatory press release touting how it will be taking the first steps to "begin the process" of the procurement and siting process to install 25 lithium-ion battery charging stations in the city by 2027. In other words, if current trends in conflagrations continue, there'll be roughly 400 more fires caused by these batteries before the safe infrastructure is installed."
"The Fire Department has been successful in reducing injuries and deaths from the extremely hot and hard-to-extinguish battery fires, but their number has not meaningfully decreased since the pandemic peak. Through Nov. 17 of this year, there were 249 lithium-ion battery fires recorded by FDNY, resulting in 42 injuries and one death. In all of 2024, there were a total of 279 fires, 99 injuries and six fatalities."
"The DOT says the 25 sites will be located in neighborhoods with "the highest delivery traffic," but did not specify how charging ports will be at each site. The city currently has around 80,000 delivery workers, most of whom rely on e-bikes, plus untold thousands of e-bike-using commuters or parents schlepping kids to school. Given that lithium-ion battery fires have been raging since 2020 - and calls for public charging started shortly thereafter - it's fair to ask why public charging has been so slow to be built."
The Department of Transportation will begin procurement and siting to install 25 lithium-ion battery charging stations citywide by 2027. Completion of public charging infrastructure is pushed four years after the mayor released the Charge Safe, Ride Safe Action Plan. FDNY recorded 249 lithium-ion battery fires through Nov. 17 this year, with 42 injuries and one death; 2024 totaled 279 fires, 99 injuries and six fatalities. The DOT plans sites in neighborhoods with the highest delivery traffic but did not specify charging ports per site. The city has roughly 80,000 delivery workers relying on e-bikes. Battery fires have been occurring since 2020; public charging rollout remains slow.
Read at Streetsblog
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