Fire warning for e-bike batteries

A federal watchdog urged consumers Monday to immediately stop using and safely dispose of two models of lithium-ion batteries made for a popular e-bike brand, warning of serious fire risks.

- ALEXANDRA E. PETRI

A delivery worker rides an e-bike in New York last year. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission is urging people to stop using certain batteries made for e-bikes.

(BLOOMBERG)

The lithium-ion batteries, model numbers RP-1304 and HL-RP-S1304, are found in models made by Rad Power Bikes and have been linked to 31 reports of fire, including 12 reports of property damage totalling about $734,500, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission said in a news release.

Some of these episodes occurred when the batteries were not charging or in use, the agency said. The batteries can “unexpectedly ignite and explode, posing a fire hazard to consumers,” especially when a battery or a harness is exposed to water or debris, according to the agency.

A spokesperson for Rad Power Bikes, which is based in Seattle, said in a statement that the 31 reported incidents were out of “100,000-plus batteries, a fraction of a percent of total batteries sold.”