NYC sees record fires, deaths from E-bikes -- awarded $25M in federal funding

While electric vehicles of all sorts are being pushed on Americans, it remains obvious that technology has a ways to go before producing a product that is truly a viable alternative.

EVs are stacking up at car dealerships and a new study shows that in addition to being expensive, maintenance costs dwarf the costs of owning vehicles with combustion engines. EV owners are also learning that their car batteries don’t function well in frigid weather.

Turns out, electric bicycles are not faring any better. With Democrats pushing these devices as another solution to global warming, New York City saw a record number of fires, injuries, and deaths last year from these bicycles, according to Fox News.

“Overall, e-bikes sparked 267 fires which caused 18 deaths and 150 injuries in the city, according to New York Fire Department (FDNY) data, ” the network reported. “The figures represent the highest levels of each statistic, with e-bike related deaths increasing 200%, fires increasing 21% and injuries increasing 2% in the city year over year.”

This photo says it all – e-bikes are dangerous and a serious fire hazards. @FDNY @TransAlt @NYCMayor @LosDeliveristas @NYC_DOT pic.twitter.com/serGutqJTF

— NYC Bike Watch (@Mike94663851870) January 12, 2024

In other words, you have to be willing to put your life on the line to help save the planet.

“As we rely more and more on micromobility vehicles to earn a living in our daily lives, we increase the risk of fires caused by lithium-ion batteries. And as mentioned, we had over 100 deaths in this city alone on these batteries,” New York Mayor Eric Adams (D) said last year during an event on e-bike safety.

“And one of the problems that we’ve noticed, when you look at those taped-up batteries, you see that they are refurbished,” he continued. “These shops are going inside attempting to refurbish the batteries and do it their own way. This is a safety issue.”

FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh has called e-bikes “incredibly dangerous devices,” with Fox News reporting that the department has banned them at its headquarters and trained firefighters to respond to lithium-ion battery fires.

She joins with the mayor in calling for more regulation — which is par for the course when it comes to Democrats.

New York Attorney General Letitia James took a break from her political persecution of Donald Trump to get in on the act as well, issuing a consumer alert in June warning about the “significant risks” associated with e-bikes.

Ironically, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory recently announced an outright ban of e-bikes being charged or stored in the buildings by visitors or staff due to safety concerns, according to Electrek.

To little surprise, given the Biden administration’s embrace of the Green New Deal, New York City was awarded $25 million in federal funding to install 173 outdoor e-bike charging stations, according to Adams.

The Democratic mayor made this announcement last year after he unveiled the Charge Safe, Ride Safe plan to prevent further harmful e-bike incidents. The launch of a battery-charging pilot program for delivery workers is also in the works, according to Fox News.

“We know these fires can cause serious injury, and even death. We are grateful to our partners in city government for their out-of-the-box thinking on how we can embrace this new technology while also protecting lives,” Kavanagh said recently.

Author
Recent Posts

Tom Tillison

Senior Staff Writer - [email protected]
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.

Tom Tillison grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills. Tillison also contributes to BizPac Review.

Comment

Latest Articles