New Bill Mandates UL Safety Standards for E-Bike and Scooter Batteries Within 180 Days

This legislation directs the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to adopt three specific safety standards for the lithium-ion batteries powering many popular personal electric devices. Within 180 days of the bill's enactment, the CPSC must formally adopt ANSI/CAN/UL 2271 (for light electric vehicle batteries), ANSI/CAN/UL 2849 (for eBike electrical systems), and ANSI/CAN/UL 2272 (for personal e-mobility devices like hoverboards) as mandatory consumer product safety standards. The goal is to standardize safety requirements for these batteries, aiming to reduce fire and explosion risks for consumers.

Charging Up Safety Standards

The core of the bill is this mandate for the CPSC to adopt these existing voluntary standards, developed by Underwriters Laboratories (UL), and make them legally binding for consumer products. This applies specifically to items sold for personal use in homes, schools, or recreation, as defined under the Consumer Product Safety Act. Think e-bikes, e-scooters, hoverboards, and similar micromobility devices. Manufacturers selling these products in the U.S. would need to ensure their battery systems comply with these specific UL standards once adopted. For you, this means that scooter you rent or the e-bike you buy should soon come with batteries certified to meet a defined safety benchmark, potentially reducing the chances of overheating or fires.

Keeping Standards Current and Enforceable

The bill also sets up a process for keeping these standards up-to-date. If the organizations behind the UL standards revise them, they must notify the CPSC. The updated standard automatically becomes the new federal standard 180 days later unless the CPSC determines within 90 days that the revision doesn't actually improve safety, in which case the existing standard remains. By designating these as official 'consumer product safety rules' under Section 9 of the Consumer Product Safety Act, the standards gain legal enforceability, allowing the CPSC to take action against non-compliant products. This aims to ensure safety rules evolve with technology while maintaining regulatory oversight.

Tracking the Hazard: The Five-Year Report

Finally, the legislation requires the CPSC to report back to Congress within five years. This report needs to detail incidents involving fires, explosions, or other hazards linked to lithium-ion batteries in micromobility products. The CPSC is asked to include specifics like the product make and model, whether the battery met the required standard (if known), and the battery manufacturer. This data collection is designed to track the effectiveness of the mandated standards and identify any lingering safety gaps or patterns related to specific products or manufacturers, informing future safety efforts.