Lithium-Ion Batteries
Streetsblog Basics
Amazon Stops Selling Illegal Batteries After City Cease-and-Desist Letter
Following a cease-and-desist letter from the city, Amazon, at least, has partially reformed its illegal ways.
November 10, 2023
NYPD Steps Up Effort Against Illegal Mopeds, But Some Advocates Want a Different Approach
The NYPD seized some illegal wheels from delivery workers in the middle of their route on Wednesday, part of a stepped-up effort.
October 4, 2023
Online Retailers Selling Illegal Batteries and Mopeds to City Buyers
Call it Amazon crime: The mammoth online retailer is selling illegal batteries and mopeds to city residents, despite such devices being forbidden from city streets.
September 21, 2023
Enforcement of Illegal Batteries — and, Apparently, Mopeds — Starts on Saturday
The city says it will send out inspectors this weekend to begin enforcement of a new law prohibiting the sale of uncertified lithium-ion power cells.
September 15, 2023
Council Passes Battery ‘Buy-Back’ Program and Other Bills to Curb Lithium-Ion Fires
Finally, there's a law to create a citywide "buy back" program that would allow delivery workers to exchange faulty or second-hand lithium-ion batteries for safe, certified ones.
September 14, 2023
Charging Ahead? The City Needs Plugs for E-Bikes, Not Cars, Advocates and Pols Say
Council Member Gale Brewer (D-Upper West Side) set the tone by declaring that very few people in her tony district call her office to demand more charging stations for cars.
June 26, 2023
After Deadly Fire, Mayor Waffles on E-Bike Battery Buy Back Bill
A day after a fatal blaze tore through a Chinatown e-bike shop, killing four, Mayor Adams did not "get stuff done."
June 22, 2023
Wednesday’s Headlines: What in Blazes Edition
The big story yesterday was the aftermath of the devastating, early morning fatal fire in Chinatown on Tuesday.
June 21, 2023
Second Delivery Company Steps Up to Help Workers Avoid Deadly Lithium-Ion Fires
Another tech giant is now stepping up to help delivery workers access safe e-bikes amid a scourge of deadly fires linked to faulty lithium-ion batteries — a week after Uber unveiled two trade-in programs to swap out bad power packs.
April 26, 2023
Delivery Apps Should ‘Step Up’ to Help Workers Avoid Deadly Lithium-Ion Fires, City Says
City Hall is "very much aligned in spirit” with the proposed buyback program.
April 18, 2023
