DOT OKs New E-Bike Charging Stations to Be Set Up By Tenants and Landlords on Sidewalks
Three contractors have been picked by the city to install the outdoor chargers. Landlords who want to install them on sidewalks in front of their buildings–which could be a boon to restaurant and food deliverers–will need to get a permit from the FDNY.
| 06 Jan 2025 | 11:55
The DOT is going to allow commercial tenants to set up e-bike charging stations on public sidewalks. The idea is to move charing of e-bikes outside in order to eliminate the danger when an unapproved battery explodes indoors. (
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E-bike charging stations will rapidly expand across city sidewalks in 2025, the Department of Transportation announced on Jan. 2 following a successful six-month pilot program that tested with five stations in Manhattan.
The pilot was part of Mayor Eric Adams’s Charge Safe, Ride Safe Action Plan, aiming to curb fire hazards by promoting outdoor use of safer UL-certified lithium-ion batteries. It included battery-swapping cabinets from PopWheels and Swobbee and charging docks from Swiftmile. Over 118 delivery workers were registered as test users and granted unlimited free charging at these stations.
“I love it,” said Diallo Boubacar, a delivery worker who participated. “When I finish work, I just leave it (overnight) and go home.”
The program saw a 35 percent reduction in at-home battery charging among participants, with no reported fire incidents, according to DOT data.
Lithium-ion battery fires claimed 18 lives in 2023, including eight in Manhattan.
In 2024, FDNY said the death toll dropped to five citywide.
A 27-year-old Indian journalist died in a fire when a non-UL-certified battery exploded in an apartment below his on the UWS. The fire trapped him in a smoke-filled hallway, forcing firefighters to rescue other victims via ropes six stories above ground.
“There are batteries that are in houses that shouldn’t be there,” said Baruch Herzfeld, CEO of Popwheels. He praised the city’s efforts but noted the long process was inevitable for new plans to take effect after regulatory approvals. The future installations will continue to require FDNY oversight and applications for government’s revocable consent.
“When you change the law in New York, it creates a process. It takes six months from when the government announces it till they change,” Herzfeld said, adding it’s worth the wait, because “people can sleep sound at night.”
The initial idea was first proposed by Sen. Chuck Schumer and Mayor Adams back in October 2022, according to StreetsBlog NYC.
In 2025, New York City plans to collaborate with the three companies in the pilot program to roll out more charging stations, working with building owners to use their space on wider sidewalks under FDNY supervision. Applications will open on February 1.
Several stations have already been installed and are awaiting final approval before they can become operational.
Herzfeld projected that “within two years, we’ll have 1,000” charging stations citywide. The official launch will feature a subscription model offering delivery workers and e-bike users unlimited access to all stations for $75 a month.