HOAleader.com - Tip of the Week - February 3, 2023
Published: Fri, 02/03/23
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HOAleader.com - Tip of the Week - February 3, 2023
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Imagine having nearly 40 people in your community injured, all because an electronic bike battery spontaneously combusted.
That happened in a Manhattan building in November. In fact, the statistics about ebike fires are jarring. In 2022 in New York city alone, six people died in fires caused by ebike battery ignition. In November, the battery of an ebike inside that Manhattan building caused a fire that injured nearly 40 people and required the city's fire department to evacuate some residents using ropes.
The FDNY says 200 fires were caused by the lithium-ion batteries used in the bikes in 2022. As a result, the NYFD issued an alert about the risk of ebikes. Landlords in the city will be required to post the notice in their buildings.
"I didn't know that," states Scott D. Weiss, CCAL, a community association lawyer at Ortale Kelley in Nashville, Tenn., who represents more than 650 condos/HOA communities throughout the state. "This is apparently a new thing."
In this week's tip, our experts discuss whether you should begin the process of regulating the storage of ebikes in your community.
Plainly, the statistics in New York City are startling—and that's just one metro area in the country. But it's not yet clear just how dangerous ebikes are.
"They're obviously a consumer product at this point, so many people are buying them and storing them in or near their homes," states Matthew A. Drewes, a partner at DeWitt in Minneapolis. "It seems surprising there would be what seems to be a large number of incidents of serious events.
"We know New York City is densely populated with a huge number of people, so any number of spontaneous combustion incidents seems bad," he adds. "But what's not clear is whether ebikes are more dangerous than, say, having a toaster. Is it a particular manufacturer of ebikes this is happening with? A particular bike? Something else?
"It's easy to look at a set of raw numbers and say a product is too risky," states Drewes. "But it does seem like with the information coming out, it would be wise for associations to do some research or get some information on that potential for risk. The information out there now is enough for an association to say, 'We think the risk is now something we can't ignore.'"
Find out more, including how to begin the process of researching this issue, in our new article: https://www.hoaleader.com/members/4649.cfm
Best regards,
Matt Humphrey
President
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