... activated the first of five public e-battery charging locations as part of the city's new six-month pilot program to test safe, public charging of lithium-ion batteries by an initial group of 100 delivery workers. The first charging site is located in Cooper Square ... and is a key component of the administration's overall “Charge Safe, Ride Safe: New York City's Electric Micromobility Action Plan" to support safe e-bike use and prevent deadly lithium-ion battery fires. New York City is among the first major cities in the United States to launch a public e-bike charging pilot program.
Per the Times:
During the pilot program, up to 100 delivery workers can volunteer to use the charging hubs for free and provide feedback to the city. The program will cost about $950,000 in city funding. Its results will inform the city’s efforts "to expand safe and affordable e-battery charging to all New Yorkers," city transportation officials said.The new charging sites come amid ongoing concerns over fires sparked by lithium-ion batteries.
According to ABC 7 and other media outlets, 18 people died, and 150 people were injured in 268 fires caused by lithium-ion batteries in NYC last year.
Last Friday, 27-year-old journalist Fazil Khan was killed and 22 others injured during a fire in a six-floor apartment building in Harlem. FDNY officials said the fire started in an apartment shared by six delivery workers charging lithium-ion batteries.
Meanwhile, the Times pointed out that the city received "a $25 million federal grant last year to install 173 outdoor charging stations for e-bikes and other e-mobility devices at 53 of the city’s subsidized public housing complexes, but none have been built yet."
It will likely be months before you see any signs of these, The City reported.
And another angle brought up in Streetsblog's coverage:
When it comes to electric charging infrastructure for cars, DOT has been able to install 100 chargers at sidewalks in all five boroughs within 18 months, and the agency is eyeing tens of thousands more in the coming decade, Streetsblog reported.Nevertheless, the asked why it appeared to be easier for the agency to accommodate electric cars than e-bikes, DOT Commissioner Ydanis Commissioner contended it was not more challenging to set up the e-bike infrastructure.
Photos courtesy of the DOT
$950,000 sounds like a lot of money for this project. I guess I don't understand civic financing.
ReplyDeleteAs a former messenger and long time rider biking in the city has always been an adventure but there were opportunities for a relaxing cruise. With the explosion of commuting and the advent of ebikes every moment now is fraught. I get it. Times change. But ebikes should be required to have license plates. They are effectively motorcycles. Us bikers always played fast and loose with the traffic laws but the most egregious of the ebikers, for instance racing down sidewalks even when the roadway is open is just wrong, need to be reigned in.
So after all we fought for in raining in the E-vhicle lawlessness this is the answer?
ReplyDeleteso lets have them explode in the street ??? The real answer is stop the importation of the type of bike the delivery people use along with its exploding batteries. But that makes too much sense and sense it not a virtue of City Government.
This? But no licensing, plates or accountability? And now tax payers are paying for electricity so private industry can deliver pizzas & $25 salads — the city has lost its way.
ReplyDeleteRE: "But ebikes should be required to have license plates. They are effectively motorcycles."
ReplyDeleteAgree completely, but the city is completely out of control.
Bus and subway riders pay a fare.
ReplyDeleteWhy do e-bikes get this free service?
Unacceptable to prioritize bicycles/e-bikes over mass transit users.
So now we can take some of the money from congestion pricing and use it to hire more firefighters to deal with this nonsense. And hopefully, as this asinine project expands, these charging stations won’t get their own street sheds.
ReplyDeleteWhy on earth is the city subsidizing Grubhub, UberEast, Doordash etc? These are publicly traded companies. This is just another giveaway of public space as well. Lastly e-bikes on sidewalks has become both a public-safety and quality of life issue and here the city is encouraging e-bikes onto the sidewalk for free electricity.
ReplyDeleteThe NY Times article indicated that the [future] expectation is:
ReplyDelete" said the company plans to establish a network of charging hubs for all e-bike riders across New York, which would charge a maximum of $2 a day for an unlimited number of battery swaps."
Not understanding how bus and subway riders must pay $2.75 per ride for essential mass transit - yet ebike users get privileged with battery charge costs of no more than $2.00 daily.
And ebike charging apparently gets use of public land?
Speechless that any kind of biking is prioritized over essential bus and subway
So now the taxpayers are going to subsidize the Silicon Valley parasites' businesses and the delivery riders who ignore all traffic laws, riding the wrong way, through red lights, on sidewalks and endangering pedestrians and other cyclists?
ReplyDelete