This tragedy brings the death toll of E-Mobility device fires to 23 since 2021, making it the leading cause of fire deaths in the city.
E-Bike blazes are caused when the massive amount of energy stored in substandard batteries spontaneously ignites. In order to prevent such tragedies from happening again, the city council and mayor Adams are urging for more regulation of E-Bikes, including the banning of storage and recharging in residential and mixed-use buildings as well as requiring commercial E-Bikes to register with the city and display proof of insurance.
At present, delivery app companies force their workers to purchase and maintain E-Bikes in order to make a living wage. And with last year’s passing of an $18 minimum wage law, the pressure for more deliveries per hour is overwhelming. Immigrants and low wage workers are bearing the brunt of this crisis, having to purchase, recharge, store, and maintain hazardous materials in an unregulated environment. In addition, there is no compensation for workplace deaths and injuries.
