In 2022, there have been nearly 200 fires and six deaths in New York City caused by lithium-ion batteries used in mobility devices such as electric bikes and scooters.
The New York City Council held a hearing last month to gauge the danger posed by poorly made, refurbished, or improperly charged batteries. The city currently limits five large lithium-ion batteries to a single residence.
Other cities including San Francisco also have experienced fires caused by lithium-ion batteries. Concerned over an uptick in fires, landlords in New York City such as Glenwood Management are reportedly considering bans on electric bikes and scooters.
If the batteries are damaged from being dropped or hit too hard, or are improperly stored or poorly manufactured, they can create excessive heat when being charged, resulting in a fire, according to a fire protection engineer at the National Fire Protection Association.
Related Stories
| Feb 28, 2014
Steel Joist Institute standards open for review
The 2015 draft of the Steel Joist Institute’s “Single Joist Standard Specification for K-, LH-, and DLH-Series and Joist Girders” will be available for public review until May 31, 2014.
| Feb 28, 2014
Metcalf Construction wins key reversal from federal appeals court in Hawaii on military contract
Metcalf spent more than $76 million on a military construction project and sued to recoup costs.
| Feb 19, 2014
Obama Administration moves to boost fuel efficiency standards on heavy-duty vehicles
The Obama Administration wants to boost fuel efficiency of medium- and heavy-duty trucks for models made in 2019 and later.
| Feb 19, 2014
Net Positive Energy + Water is latest green certification standard
The advancement of sustainable construction has reached a new milestone with the development of Net Positive Energy+Water, a new green building certification standard that aims to improve net zero approaches to energy and water conservation.
| Feb 19, 2014
Obama’s climate resilience panel says PVs, cool roofs should be part of solution
Among the suggestions were rooftop solar energy systems and cool roofs, which could be encouraged by policies from local governments.
| Feb 19, 2014
OSHA proposes three-year postponement of crane operator certification requirement
OSHA’s proposal to postpone the compliance date for crane operator certification by three years was made official on Feb. 7 when it was published in the Federal Register.
| Feb 19, 2014
USGBC introduces new online educational platform
The U.S. Green Building Council has introduced “Education @USGBC” a new educational platform.
| Feb 17, 2014
Channeling weather forecasts to building systems can yield significant energy savings
Using weather forecasts to predict outdoor temperature changes can lead to significant energy savings, exceeding 10%, researchers say.
| Feb 17, 2014
Lawmakers may take away control of Florida hospital project from the VA
The project is $100 million over budget and has missed its scheduled completion date.
| Feb 17, 2014
Business, labor at odds over toughening of OSHA silica dust rule
OSHA says the rules will protect workers and prevent 700 fatalities annually. Others say the rules would hurt businesses and jobs.
