The Setting Consumer Standards for Lithium-Ion Batteries was passed by the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce by a unanimous vote.
The bipartisan bill - first introduced by Congressman Ritchie Torress (NY-15), Congressman Garbino (NY-02), Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09) and Congressman Nick Langworthy (NY-23) - requires the Consumer Product Safety Commission to publish a final consumer product safety standard for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries used in e-bikes and other micro mobility devices to protect against the risk of fires caused by such batteries.
Fires caused from lithium-ion betters has become a widespread issue within New York City. The New York City Fire Department reports rechargeable lithium-ion batteries have caused more than 1,000 fires since 2019, resulting in 523 injuries, 39 deaths and damage to over 650 hundreds of structures. Just in 2024, there were 279 e-bike and e-mobility device battery fires in NYC, a significant increase compared to the 30 that occurred in 2019.
“This legislation will help protect the safety of millions of people in the nation’s commercial buildings as well as the safety of first responders,” Manuel Moreno, chair and chief elected officer of the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International. “We gratefully thank Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) and his staff for their leadership, along with the many Members of Congress who have been supportive of this bipartisan legislation, and we now urge Congress to bring up this bill for a full vote.”
