New York City cracks down on improper e-bike battery handling and storage amid spike in deadly fires

New York City officials received $25 million in emergency federal funding to install e-bike charging stations in an effort to prevent deadly battery fires.
The announcement comes after over 100 fires and 13 deaths this year in New York City linked to e-bikes, more than double last year's total.
Fire officials will now respond to complaints about e-bike batteries within 12 hours instead of three days.
The city is asking the public to report hazardous conditions in e-bike repair shops like charging batteries too close together or damaged devices.
New guidelines aim to crack down on shops that don't properly handle lithium ion batteries rather than criminalizing the repair industry overall.