Rep. Ritchie Torres introduces federal safety standards for lithium-ion batteries blamed for hundreds of fires

By ZINNIA MALDONADO

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    NEW YORK (WCBS) — On Tuesday, Congressman Ritchie Torres announced a new bill mandating federal safety standards for lithium-ion batteries.

Torres said the proposal is aimed at preventing fires like the five-alarm inferno that tore through a Bronx supermarket over the weekend when an e-bike battery burst into flames.

New York City officials are calling on the federal government to implement stricter standards when it comes to the use of lithium-ion batteries.

“The scandal is not the government is failing to regulate. The scandal is the federal government isn’t even trying. There isn’t any safety regulations when it comes to lithium-ion batteries,” Torres said.

Torres announced the Setting Consumer Standards for Lithium-Ion Batteries Act. The legislation would require the Consumer Product Safety Commission to establish a final consumer product safety standard for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries used in personal mobility devices — like electric scooters and bikes.

It’s an effort to prevent fires caused by the batteries, fires like the one that broke out on Sunday at a Bronx supermarket along Grand Concourse after an e-bike exploded.

Torres, who made his announcement just down the street, says federal leaders need to be concerned.

“I want to be crystal clear: the problem arises when these batteries are poorly designed, poorly manufactured, and poorly handled,” Torres said.

Mayor Eric Adams echoed a similar message on Monday.

“These are extremely dangerous and I’m calling on our national government to look at how we restrict the sale of these batteries,” Adams said.

Last year, there were 219 fires caused by devices that use lithium-ion batteries, resulting in 147 injuries and six deaths.

One of many reasons city officials say the feds need to step in is the ease in which cheaper, uncertified batteries can be purchased.

“Non-certified is much cheaper. The average cost of a bike is somewhere $2,500 to $3,000. Non-certified are available for $1,500,” said Marcus Hoed, owner of delivery service Dutch Express.

“They could require that the devices when they’re sold can only be charged with the chord they come with. They can also confiscate or remove devices that are not certified right now, and then they can actually seize those same devices at the ports,” FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh said.

The FDNY released a video showing the moment the e-bike battery exploded in the Bronx on Sunday. Officials also say the fires started by these batteries are hard to put out.

“There’s something that’s called ‘thermal runaway’ that happens with lithium-ion batteries. There are many small cells in the one large battery and once it’s on fire, it’s incredibly difficult to extinguish, and each cell can then catch fire. So it’s a tremendous volume of fire,” Kavanagh said.

Meanwhile, fire union officials are demanding companies be held liable for allowing their employees to use black market batteries to get around while making deliveries.

According to the FDNY, lithium-ion batteries have sparked more than 400 fires across New York City over the last four years.

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