E-bikes are becoming increasingly popular in the US, but so are concerns about battery fires. These fires are rare, but they can be dangerous. New York City, with its large number of e-bike delivery riders, has seen a number of these fires, often caused by low-quality batteries.
China, the world’s biggest e-bike producer, is taking steps to address this issue. They just passed new safety standards for lithium-ion batteries used in e-bikes. These standards cover things like battery design, manufacturing, and how they’re sold. They focus on preventing fires by addressing things like overcharging, overheating, and damage to the battery. The new rules go into effect in November 2024.
Since most e-bikes and their parts come from China, these new standards could have a big impact in the US. Factories in China will likely have to improve the quality of their batteries to meet these new rules. This could mean the end of cheap, low-quality batteries that are more prone to fires.
China is known for its strict enforcement of regulations. This means battery manufacturers will likely have to comply with the new standards or stop making e-bike batteries altogether.
While the new rules only apply to batteries sold in China, it might not make sense for factories to create separate production lines for export. This could mean that the improvements made for the Chinese market will also benefit batteries sold in other countries, including the US. So, even though the rules are in China, they could lead to safer e-bikes everywhere.
