No, e-bike fires are not a ‘leading cause of death’ in NYC
It’s a new year, and yet we’re facing the same old problem as last year: electric bike fear-mongering from irresponsible journalists painting an overblown risk of e-bike fires.
This time, we’ve got a doozie of a headline from Men’s Journal: “E-bike Batteries: A Leading Cause Of Death In NYC”.
The only problem is it’s wrong. As in, completely wrong. The premise is not even close to aligning with reality.
This isn’t to say that fires from improperly constructed or tampered with electric bike lithium-ion batteries is a non-issue. It is an important matter requiring increased regulation – something NYC has already begun. The issue is acutely essential in NYC, where bike couriers rely on e-bikes to deliver food and goods to city residents, and are often forced to buy the cheapest e-bikes available due to the low wages of these critical service jobs. Such cheap e-bikes regularly scrimp on important safety features, resulting in a higher risk of battery fires – especially when unofficial or inexperienced repairmen try to repair worn-out or malfunctioning batteries.
The issue is a fatal one, even. New York City saw at least 17 deaths last year from fires started by faulty lithium-ion batteries. It’s worth noting that many – if not most – of these fires aren’t actually caused by e-bike batteries but rather electric scooters and e-motorbikes that firefighters don’t understand and thus lump into the e-bike category. But that’s a nuance lost on most people so we’ll ignore it for now and include all micromobility-related fires.
Every one of those 17 deaths last year is a tragedy. And increased regulation to weed out the ultra-cheap, poorly-made e-bikes can help. But to call it a “leading cause” of death in NYC is journalistic malpractice. In fact, in all of my extensive research, I can’t even tell you what rank it is because it is so far down the list of leading causes of death in NYC that the statistics don’t even go that low.
So the simple fact of the matter is this: no, e-bike fires are not a leading cause of death in NYC. They aren’t even close to making the list.
Even if you ignore the true leading causes of death, such as over 17,000 deaths per year due to heart disease in New York City, then lithium-ion battery fire deaths are still not even close to making the charts. That’s a 1,000x higher likelihood of death by heart disease.
Compared to battery fire deaths, New Yorkers are 176x more likely to die from a drug overdose, 23x more likely to be murdered, 5x more likely to die while riding the subway, and over 3x more likely to die from choking. You’d be safer to chew your food a little longer than to worry about an e-bike fire.
Focusing in further just on fire deaths, several times more people are killed in the city from fires sparked by electric space heaters. A single space heater fire in 2022 killed 3x as many people as all e-bike battery fires combined in NYC that year.
Even if you want to hyperfocus on bikes, then let’s talk about the bigger cause of bike-related deaths in NYC: cyclists getting killed by cars. Due to the lack of proper bike lanes in NYC (missing on 97% of NYC streets), there are several times more cyclist deaths than deaths due to battery-related fires. And pedestrians have it even worse – they’re even more likely to die from getting hit by a car in NYC than cyclists. In fact, you’re 7x more likely to die from getting run over in a crosswalk in NYC than from a battery fire.
E-bike fire safety is absolutely an important issue, and this article isn’t meant to minimize it. Instead, it just needs to be put into perspective to avoid demonizing what could be the biggest transportation revolution in a century, saving countless lives through reducing our impact on global climate change. But let’s not convolute an important safety discussion into clickbait fear-mongering, especially when it pales in impact compared to real issues that should actually keep New Yorkers up at night.
More attention and ultimately regulation should be applied to reduce the number of deaths from e-bike fires from 17 to zero, but let’s keep the issue in proportion. Considerably more lives would be saved every year just by NYC being able to pass its ban on mega-sized sugary drinks that was nullified a decade ago. Remember, more than 1,000x more New Yorkers are killed by heart disease than e-bike batteries.
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Chinese carmaker XPeng is getting perilously close to bringing its AeroHT consumer eVTOL concept to market, thanks to a $250 million Series B round that’s set to accelerate the company’s modular “flying car” production plans.
XPeng subsidiary AeroHT had its first successful proof of concept test flight ahead of the brand’s annual 1024 back in 2023, where the company unveiled a pair of flying car designs. The X3 is an actual flying “car” that can drive, park, and take off on its own, and a second, modular eVTOL that folds up into the back of an electric van called the Land Aircraft Carrier.
That vehicle pair, shown at CES in January, was set to begin production this year, with the eVTOL component set to begin production in 2026 – and that’s looking a lot more likely thanks to the new infusion of capital!
AeroHT at CES 2025
Xpeng Aeroht raised $150 million in Series B1 funding last August, before launching its Series B2 funding round. The most recent announcement that the company has secured an additional $100 million in its Series B2 funding round brings the total amount raised to more than $750 million, with a $1B pre-revenue valuation.
CNEVPost reports that company aims to establish itself as a commercial pioneer in urban air mobility ahead of a potential IPO – and may get there sooner than later, thanks to several hundred pre-orders at the $280,000 projected price.
Electrek’s Take
Scooter Doll said it best, writing, “this footage (of the AeroHT test flight) is as scary and concerning as it is exciting and awe-inspiring.” Which is to say that these things are real, they seem like they’re getting built, and they seem like they’ll sell well enough to convince at least one or two remaining boomers that the flying car they’ve been promised their whole lives is – finally! – coming to market.
Here’s hoping.
SOURCE: Xpeng, via CNEVPost; gallery photos by the author.
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Flooring manufacturer Beauflor USA just turned on the biggest rooftop solar system by capacity in metro Atlanta — and it’s now powering part of its Georgia factory.
The new 1,040 kW system in Cartersville officially beats metro Atlanta’s previous rooftop solar record of 1,034 kW. The new array produces enough energy to power more than 100 homes. The system is expected to cover about 10% of Beauflor’s electricity needs and cut its carbon emissions by about 920 metric tons annually.
“This solar installation represents our commitment to sustainable manufacturing practices while making sound business decisions,” said Emile Coopman, continuous improvement manager at Beauflor. He added that the system is designed with room to grow: “This is the first step toward more renewable energy.”
The company partnered with Cherry Street Energy to install the nearly 2,000-panel system, which was completed in less than four months. Cherry Street invested $1.8 million into the project and is covering all construction and maintenance costs through a 30-year energy procurement agreement. Beauflor will buy solar power directly from Cherry Street, allowing it to avoid upfront capital costs while still lowering its energy bills.
“As Georgia’s manufacturers ramp up production amid rising costs for grid energy, sophisticated operators seek ways to quickly and sustainably address their energy needs,” said Cherry Street CEO Michael Chanin. “On-site solar with no capital expense delivers just that: reliable, affordable electricity.”
Chanin added that the system’s power output is especially impressive: “The previous record-holder for metro Atlanta’s largest rooftop solar required over 4,000 panels. We’re using less than 2,000 to reliably generate even more power.”
Read more: This is New Jersey’s largest high-rise residential rooftop solar array
The 30% federal solar tax credit is ending this year. If you’ve ever considered going solar, now’s the time to act. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
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Jack Dorsey, co-founder and chief executive officer of Twitter Inc. and Square Inc., listens during the Bitcoin 2021 conference in Miami, Florida, on Friday, June 4, 2021.
Eva Marie Uzcategui | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Block shares jumped more than 10% in extended trading on Friday, as the fintech company gets set to join the S&P 500, replacing Hess.
It’s the second change to the benchmark this week, after S&P Global announced on Monday that ad-tech firm The Trade Desk would be added to the S&P 500. Trade Desk is taking the place of software maker Ansys, which was acquired by Synopsys in a deal that closed Thursday.
Hess’ departure comes just after Chevron completed its $54 billion purchase of the oil producer, prevailing against Exxon Mobil in a legal dispute over offshore oil assets in the South American nation of Guyana.
Block will officially join the S&P 500 before the opening of trading on July 23, according to a statement from S&P. Stocks often rally when they’re added to a major index, as fund managers need to rebalance their portfolios to reflect the changes.
Most alterations to the S&P 500 take place during the index’s quarterly rebalancing. However, in the case of the closing of an acquisition, a company can be removed from the index and replaced off schedule. Last week monitoring software company Datadog took Juniper Networks’ place in the S&P 500 as part of the index’s quarterly change.
Block’s addition brings further tech heft to an index that’s been steadily moving in that direction in recent years, reflecting the market cap gains of companies across the sector. Block, which gained popularity as Square due to the rapid growth of the company’s payment terminals, has expanded into crypto, lending and other financial services.
Founded by Jack Dorsey in 2009, Square changed its name to Block in 2021 to emphasize its focus on blockchain technologies.
Block shares are down 14% this year, underperforming the broader U.S. market. The Nasdaq is up more than 8%, while the S&P 500 has gained 7%. Still, with a market cap of about $45 billion, Block is valued well above the median company in the index.
In May, Block reported first-quarter results that missed Wall Street expectations on Thursday and issued a disappointing outlook, leading to a plunge in the stock price. Block’s forecast for the second quarter and full year reflected challenging economic conditions that followed sweeping tariff announcements by President Donald Trump.
“We recognize we are operating in a more dynamic macro environment, so we have reflected a more cautious stance on the macro outlook into our guidance for the rest of the year,” the company wrote in its quarterly report.
The company is scheduled to report second-quarter results after the close of regular trading on Aug. 7.
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