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E-bike battery swap network aims to end fires caused by unsafe charging

Published April 17, 2024 at 9:52 AM EDT
PopWheels co-founders David Hammer and Baruch Herzfeld next to a charging cabinet. (Courtesy of Urban X)
PopWheels co-founders David Hammer and Baruch Herzfeld next to a charging cabinet. (Courtesy of Urban X)

E-bikes are all over New York City, and thousands of delivery riders rely on them to do their jobs. The lithium-ion batteries the bikes rely on have become one of the most common causes of fires and fire-related deaths in New York because many are not certified and are charged in unsafe ways inside residential buildings.

A new battery-swap network is trying to give delivery riders access to charged e-bike batteries.

Here & Now‘s Scott Tong talks with Baruch Herzfeld, who founded the company, called PopWheels along with David Hammer.

PopWheels co-founder Baruch Herzfeld. (Courtesy of Urban X)

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2024 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.