US authorities call on the industry to comply with the rules

WASHINGTON, United States – In an open letter to more than 2,000 e-bike, e-scooter, hoverboard and e-unicycle manufacturers and importers, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) states that failure to adhere to applicable UL2849 safety standards may pose an unreasonable risk to consumers of fire and serious injury or death.

The warning comes after the CPSC received reports of at least 208 micromobility fire or overheating incidents from 39 states, resulting in at least 19 fatalities in the past 11 months. The letter was directed to manufacturers of e-bikes, e-scooters, hoverboards and e-unicycles. All these products must comply with the ANSI/CAN/UL 2272 Standard for Electrical Systems for Personal E-Mobility Devices dated 26 February 2019, and the ANSI/CAN/UL 2849 Standard for Safety for Electrical Systems for eBikes published 17 June 2022.

Illegal fatbikes

A similar warning was sent out last November in the Netherlands when 27 internet resellers were warned by the Dutch transport authorities to stop offering their fatbikes as these did not comply with European safety regulations. Such e-bikes must have a type approval in the Netherlands.

According to the CPSC, compliance with the relevant UL standards “significantly reduces the risk of injuries and deaths from micro- mobility device fires”. The letter points to the rise in fires and other hazardous thermal events involving micromobility products in urging manufacturers to ensure that these consumer devices – when manufactured, imported, distributed or sold in the United States – are designed, manufactured and certified for compliance in accordance with UL safety standards. “In case our Office of Compliance and Field Operations encounters such products, we will seek corrective action as appropriate,” CPSC writes in the letter.

In the past 11 months, 208 micromobility fire or overheating incidents were reported in the US.

Reduce the risk of dangerous fires

The UL safety standards were developed to reduce the serious risk of dangerous fires with battery-powered micromobility products. The letter further calls on manufacturers to demonstrate compliance with the standards through certification from an accredited testing laboratory.