By Charles Pekow — E-bikes are going to require a lot more safety work. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) counted at least 53 fatalities on them between 2017 and 2021, mainly through collisions with motor vehicles and loss of user control. CPSC did its own investigating on 11 cases and found eight involved fire or inadequate brakes.
CPSC reported its findings in Micromobility Products-Related Deaths, Injuries, and Hazard Patterns: 2017–2021 (https://www.cpsc.gov/s3fs-public/Micromobility-Products-Related-Deaths-Injuries-and-Hazard-Patterns-2017-2021.pdf)
CPSC notes that its reporting of accidents isn’t complete but that the number appears to be rising as the vehicles increase in popularity.
Meanwhile, the Occupational Safety & Health Administration approved UL LLC as a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory for a test Standard for Electrical Systems for eBikes (https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2022-09-21/pdf/2022-20397.pdf).
Also, after at least 140 e-bike battery fires killing at least five people, New York City required landlords to post safety warnings about ebike fires, telling people not to charge if they find smoke, leakage, etc.
