In 2023, lithium-ion batteries were the leading cause of fires in New York City, with 268 related incidents that resulted in 18 deaths and 150 injuries.
Recent reports from across the country include battery fires in planes, freight trains, cargo ships and intermodal shipping facilities. While Chicago has not experienced the volume of fires seen in New York, incidents have occurred locally.
Earlier this year, garbage haulers in Peoria and Edwardsville dumped loads of trash onto the street so firefighters could put out fires that started when batteries were crushed and exploded in garbage trucks. In February, a lithium-ion battery explosion at a home in Park Ridge caused $150,000 in damage.
In June 2021, an estimated 100 tons of batteries stored illegally in a warehouse in Morris exploded and caught fire, causing the evacuation of more than 3,000 people during a days-long incident.
Because rechargeable lithium-ion batteries are used to power everything from electric vehicles to phones to micro-mobility devices, like electric scooters and bikes, e-batteries can be found in nearly every household.
Damaged, altered and uncertified lithium-ion batteries pose a growing threat to public safety, and this month the Chicago City Council voted to protect residents, first responders and city workers from the products that can cause uniquely dangerous fires. Exploding e-batteries can send sparks burning at over 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit like a Roman candle across large distances allowing fire to spread quickly. Once ignited, they can only be put out quickly by using foam or fire extinguishers.
These fires have been particularly deadly in the kinds of multi-unit buildings found across Chicago. Because burning lithium-ion batteries are prone to reignition, if water is used to fight them, it must be applied in large amounts, often over a period of many hours.
Last year, I introduced the city’s first municipal regulations on lithium-ion batteries. Earlier this month, with the support of a coalition of advocates, the City Council voted to approve the new measures. Our ordinance includes penalties for retailers who sell powered mobility devices using uncertified e-batteries, as well as anyone who assembles or reconditions battery cells removed from used lithium-ion batteries.
Further, it requires all devices and batteries to meet testing standards to ensure e-bikes and e-scooters are safe. It seeks to block the sale of cut-rate products via platforms such as Amazon, eBay and Facebook Marketplace, and sets up a system by which the Chicago Fire Department will track lithium-ion battery fires.
Chicago is home to a booming micro-mobility market. That is a good thing: Every vehicle mile replaced with a mile on an electric bike or scooter helps our environment and improves the health of our city. We need alternatives, such as Divvy and its network of thousands of e-bikes, that support sustainable transit, and our ordinance ensures this market can grow safely.
I want to thank those who supported this legislation, including the Fire Department, Fire Fighters Union Local 2, the Active Transportation Alliance, the Illinois Environmental Council, PeopleForBikes and Ride Illinois, as well as micro-mobility device manufacturers and retail shops such as Electric Movement.
Some have asked, “If we are not experiencing an outbreak of battery fires, why should we be regulating this industry?” Because when it comes to the work we do in City Council, it is important to learn from what we see taking place not just in Chicago, but around the world, and to target threats before tragedy strikes.
Ald. Debra Silverstein represents the 50th Ward and is chair of the Committee on License and Consumer Protection.
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