AT A GLANCE
- Following New York’s Local Law 39, which requires e-mobility devices and batteries to meet ULSE safety standards before sale, lease, or rental, deaths from e-mobility fires fell to one in just two years.
- In addition to strict enforcement, ULSE standards also played a key role in incentives that have helped NYC delivery workers and commuters adapt to the new law.
In 2023, as the number of deaths from e-mobility fires in New York City reached an annual peak of 18, the city enacted a law requiring ULSE standards for any e-mobility device (such as e-bikes and e-scooters) sold, leased, or distributed in NYC, to help reduce the risk of fire. In 2025, just two years after the law took effect, the number of annual deaths fell to one, FDNY Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore said.
Specifically, the law requires e-mobility devices to be tested and certified to UL 2849, the Standard for Electrical Systems for e-Bikes; UL 2272, the Standard for Electrical Systems for Personal E-Mobility Devices; and UL 2271, the Standard for Batteries for Use in Light Electric Vehicle Applications.
How NYC Is Making E-mobility Safer with ULSE Standards
In addition to strict enforcement, these standards also play a key role in incentives that have helped NYC delivery workers and commuters adapt to the new law. A trade-in program in 2025 allowed eligible food delivery workers to exchange an uncertified e-bike or e-scooter for new, certified e-bike with a spare, certified battery. And a 2024 pilot program for public battery swapping and charging stations also showed strong participation, allowing the program to move forward with 25 additional locations, beginning in 2027.
City officials also attribute the sharp decline in deaths to public education efforts. Under the former mayor’s Charge Safe, Ride Safe action plan, FDNY and other city agencies and community organizations partnered to lead safety training programs for delivery workers, block/tenant associations, social workers, and NYC families and youth on best practices for charging, maintenance, and storage, in order to help avoid the risk of fire from the rechargeable, lithium-ion batteries powering e-bikes and e-scooters.
The one death in 2025 underscores the importance of safe charging and storage practices. The victim, a 76-year-old woman, was trapped in the bathroom of a pizzeria in Queens when an e-mobility device just outside the bathroom caught fire.
According to a ULSE e-mobility report, nearly half of e-bike riders (49%) who charge at home admit to blocking their home’s fire exits, a contributing factor in several cases where deaths have occurred. Further, a significant percentage of riders report unsafe behaviors such as leaving e-bikes or e-scooters plugged in even after reaching full charge (53%), charging their devices overnight (41%), or allowing them to charge unattended while away from home (26%).
Advancing E-mobility Safety Beyond the Five Boroughs
UL Standards & Engagement has developed resources for cities and states looking to follow NYC’s example. Download our toolkit to support safe, sustainable, e-mobility transportation.
There is also opportunity for greater safety across the U.S. The bipartisan Setting Consumer Standards for Lithium-Ion Batteries Act (S.389 H.R.973), would mandate consumer safety standards for e-mobility devices. If passed, the same ULSE standards driving safety in NYC would apply nationwide. ULSE strongly encourages the immediate vote and passage of this bipartisan bill in the Senate, to help keep uncertified batteries off the market and out of homes.
