E-Bike Battery Overheats and Catches Fire

Migliaccio & Rathod LLP is currently investigating lithium-ion batteries of electric bikes (also known as “e-bikes”) for overheating and catching on fire while charging. E-bike sales grew by 240 percent nationally over the past year, driven primarily by the boom in delivery services. While e-bike battery explosions have recently wreaked havoc all around the world, New York City has seen the largest increase in the frequency of these fires, reaching a record of 104 fires, resulting in 79 injuries and four deaths last year. These numbers are more than double from those of the previous year, when 44 fires led to 23 injuries, up from 28 fires in 2019, and the frequency of these catastrophes continues to rise. Most recently, The New York Times reported that six people died and 139 have been injured as a result of battery-caused fires so far this year.

While the exact nature of the problem is still being determined, specialists who checked the exploded batteries afterward found that some of the cells inside may have been improperly secured, turning them into “ticking time bombs.” Another problem is that the battery enclosures may not have been truly water resistant, making them even more dangerous in bad weather. E-bike batteries that have continuously caused consumers trouble are frequently the cheapest and come with unbranded batteries of questionable reliability.

Has your overheated e-bike battery caught on fire or exploded?

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The lawyers at Migliaccio & Rathod LLP have years of experience in class action litigation against large corporations, including in cases involving unfair and deceptive trade practices. More information about our current cases and investigations is available on our blog.