Gillibrand, Adams and Chu Push To Accelerate E-Bike Battery Safety Measures After Tragedies

Speaking near the scene of a fire earlier this year that displaced dozens of Sunset Park residents, public officials gathered Monday to call attention to the deadly risks of lithium-ion batteries used in e-bikes and urge passage of a federal bill that would set a single national safety standard.

“You deserve to trust your bike, your e-bike and scooter won’t catch fire,” said U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), who joined state Sen. Iwen Chu (D-Brooklyn) and outgoing Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh at the headquarters of the Chinese-American Planning Council, a local nonprofit group.

Chu, whose Senate district has seen several battery-fueled fires, including a midday three-alarm blaze last October at a battery storage and e-bike repair facility, called the federal bill “a crucial step forward in our shared mission to protect our communities.”