Consumer Reports (CR), the independent, nonprofit, and nonpartisan member organization, welcomes the opportunity to submit the following comments to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) regarding its notice of proposed rulemaking (NPR) for a safety standard for lithium-ion batteries used in micromobility products and electrical systems of micromobility products containing such batteries. According to the CPSC, from 2017 to 2024, electric bicycles (or, as abbreviated in the NPR, eBikes), electric scooters (eScooters), and self-balancing scooters (hoverboards) were associated with 45 fire-related deaths. Strong, mandatory safety standards are long overdue and necessary to prevent additional fatalities and injuries related to hazardous batteries and battery management systems. We offer the following comments on the proposed rule, as well as considerations to address additional areas of concern.
To read full comments, click here.