US Mayors Explore UL Standards to Manage Lithium-Ion Battery Fire Risks

Representatives from UL Research Institutes, UL Standards & Engagement, and UL Solutions joined mayors from more than 1,400 U.S. cities in Washington, D.C. this week to discuss lithium-ion battery safety at the 92nd Winter Meeting of The United States Conference of Mayors. The panel discussion was led by ULRI Interim President and Chief Research Officer Dr. Chris Cramer, with remarks from Commissioner of the Fire Department of New York City Laura Kavanagh, as well as Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Department Fire Chief and President of the International Association of Fire Chiefs, John S. Butler.

If you have a battery that meets these consensus safety standards that were developed by experts, that were then tested and certified to meet that standard, that you can trust that that battery is safe."

- ULSE Vice President of Standards Development Dr. George A. Borlase

ULSE Vice President of Standards Development Dr. George A. Borlase presented during the discussion alongside UL Fire Safety Research Institute Vice President and Executive Director Dr. Steve Kerber, UL Electrochemical Safety Research Institute Vice President and Executive Director Dr. Judy Jeevarajan, and UL Solutions Global Government Affairs Lead for Safety and Security Meghan Housewright. During the discussion, the panelists explored how cities can manage the fire risks of lithium-ion batteries – addressing the dangers of these batteries and reviewing best practices for developing sound policies to ensure that lithium-ion batteries in e-mobility devices on the market comply with recognized safety standards.

“The cause of this crisis is a perfect storm of demand for battery powered devices and a supply of cheap unregulated, products flooding in from overseas to meet this demand,” Kavanagh said. “These batteries are found everywhere – in your cell phones, laptops, power tools, solar devices, power packs, watches, and electric cars. When used properly and safely, their uses are endless. And yet, when used improperly, and particularly without regulation, all these seemingly benign technologies can quickly become major fire safety threats.”

Throughout the discussion, the speakers urged mayors to take action in their cities by adopting safety standards for e-Mobility devices, following the example of New York City’s 2023 legislation requiring conformance to UL standards for any micromobility devices sold, leased, or distributed in the city.

“What does this all lead to? It leads to trust,” Borlase said. “It leads to trust that if you have a battery that meets these consensus safety standards that were developed by experts, that were then tested and certified to meet that standard, that you can trust that that battery is safe compared to either the low-quality, counterfeit, tampered batteries that we are seeing cause a lot of the fires – not just in New York City, but in other places.”

The speakers emphasized that although fires from e-bikes and e-scooters have been seen in greater numbers in cities like New York, the problem is not limited to its borders. 

“This is by no means a New York City Problem,” Kavanagh said. “There is no city at this conference that has not had one of those fires. And those fires are particularly deadly.”

“The speed at which technology is emerging must match the speed with which new codes and standards are developed,” Butler said. “I encourage you all to not only develop fire department responses to incidents involving lithium ion batteries, but develop proactive measures through codes standards laws and education.”