New Yorkers have say on location for e-bike battery swapping locations

New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DoT) has launched a public portal inviting residents to help determine locations for e-bike battery swapping cabinets across New York City.

E-bike battery swapping cabinets provide safe charging stations where electric micromobility users can plug in dead batteries and pick up full ones.

Supporting workers

According to transportation officials, the infrastructure, which is available to all New Yorkers, is essential for delivery workers, who – without access to battery swapping – often have to carry multiple heavy batteries to last a full shift.

“We’re building a city around the people who live and work here – their jobs, their dreams, their lives reflected in the infrastructure we invest in,” said mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani.

“These e-bike battery swapping cabinets are about supporting workers, making our city safer and embracing the kinds of transportation New Yorkers are already turning to in growing numbers. I’m proud to help bring New Yorkers’ voices into this citywide rollout, and I’m eager to see how people shape it through the public portal.”

“E-bikes are an efficient, sustainable way to get around the city – and thousands of delivery workers rely on them every day”

The City’s battery swapping cabinets are designed to mitigate the risk of fires caused by lithium-ion e-bike batteries, which are often linked to the use of uncertified or low-quality batteries, improper charging in residential buildings, lack of safe storage spaces and educational gaps around safe battery handling.

Each cabinet will include batteries that meet the highest fire safety standards set by the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY), encourage the use of certified batteries and build confidence in the safety of e-bike charging across the city. Cabinets will be weather-resistant, theft-proof and fire-proof structures as well as include battery health monitoring and fire suppression systems.