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The CPSC wants consumers to stop using Unit Power Pack batteries with the model numbers U004 or U004-1. The batteries are black, triangular and feature straps to attach the battery to the bike’s frame. These are batteries that are part of a conversion kit to turn regular bikes into e-bikes. Either “U004 BATTERY” or “UPPBATTERY” is printed on the side. The model number can be found printed elsewhere on the battery.

The CPSC reports that there have been 13 reports of batteries that overheated including seven fires caused by the batteries in the U.S. Additional fires have been reported in the United Kingdom.

The batteries were sold on the manufacturer’s own website, unitpackpower.com as well as AliExpress, Amazon, DHgate, eBay, Walmart and other online retailers between 2018 and April 2024. The batteries retailed between $280 and $730.

The batteries need to be disposed of safely, according to local and state ordinances. It should not be thrown in the trash or placed in a battery recycling box. It needs to be disposed according the guidelines regarding damaged/defective/recalled batteries, which are different than standard battery disposal guidelines.

Consumers are encouraged to report any incidents with the Unit Pack Power battery at www.SaferProducts.gov. You can read the CPSC’s full notice here.

Liu owns Electric Bicycle Shop and FDNY fire inspectors made the decision to charge Liu following several inspections, during each of which Liu was found to be in violation of the fire code.

Liu was charged with reckless endangerment because he was selling e-bikes lacking UL certification, storing loose lithium-ion battery cells, as well as charging multiple e-bike batteries and storing multiple propane cylinders.

Electric Bicycle Shop occupies a storefront below residential apartments, precisely the sort of situation FDNY has found puts people at risk. Inspectors had visited the shop four times previously and detailed each of Liu’s violations during their visits.

“Bureau of Fire Prevention inspectors wrote many violations on our previous visits and they had little or no compliance upon this latest visit,” said FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh. “We spoke with the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office about this incident and felt that it met the charges of reckless endangerment.”

Prior to Liu’s arrest, FDNY had only issued financial penalties to shops found in violation of the fire code. Shops can be fined $1000 per SKU for either e-bikes or batteries lacking UL certification.

As proof of the ongoing problem, Commissioner Kavanagh said that there had been five fires involving lithium-ion batteries and ten the previous week.

“The problem isn’t going away,” she said.

Dyu Intelligent Mobility was founded in 2016, and is based in Shenzhen, China. In addition to designing and making e-bikes, the company has divisions devoted to sensor-based vehicles and personal mobility robots.

The company has grown rapidly since its launch in 2016. In its first year of production, 2017, it shipped 18,000 units, while in 2020, it shipped more than 150,000 units. Today, the company says, it ships 500,000 units worldwide, serving consumers in more than 60 countries, though its biggest markets are the U.S. and Europe.

The initiative lays out 36 commitments to position cycling as a strategic priority in the EU. Not only does the declaration encourage pro-cycling measures, it also makes backtracking on commitments to cycling complicated, requiring more effort to undo a policy than to initiate one.

Kristian Brink, President of Cycling Industry Europe’s Bike Share Expert Group said, “It’s a historic moment for an industry that was always considered a ‘complement’ to public transport. Now, private cycling is aligned with the rest of mobility choices and puts it at the same level of legal dignity as a car, just more environmentally friendly.”

The declarations call on governments to position cycling as an important measure in meeting climate accords, such as the European Green New Deal; to invest in cycling infrastructure; gather better data on cycling in order to better evaluate current and future policy decisions; and develop measures that will increase the ability of older people and people with disabilities to ride.

According to Tony Grimaldi, the president of Cycling Industries Europe, he expects that the cycling industry will create 1 million new jobs by 2030. He believes that the bulk of these new jobs will develop in the service sector. They will include bike assembly and maintenance as well as jobs devoted to tourism.

The results of the study demonstrated a remarkable number of people using cycling as a primary form of transportation. Some 34.5 million trips are made by bike each day in Paris by people between the ages of 16 and 80. On the weekends the number of trips remains high, with 29 million on Saturday and 19 million on Sunday.

Just as amazing is the amount of time Parisians spend in the saddle. The average Parisian’s riding time lasts 92 minutes on weekdays, 67 minutes on Saturdays and 49 minutes on Sunday. That’s more than nine hours of riding for the average Parisian each week.

Other findings showed that people living in the Paris suburbs often commute into central Paris, and the number of cyclists making that trip has climbed due to building additional cycling infrastructure.

The study also clarified that the data reflect the behavior of ordinary Parisians, not racing cyclists clad in stretchy clothing.

According to the study, just five years ago, motorists outnumbered cyclists traveling from the suburbs into the city center, but that is no longer the case, with cyclists now making more of those suburb-to-city commutes by bike.

Among the changes that have encouraged more people to ride, Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo has restricted SUV access to central Paris, reduced the number of parking spaces in the city and closed some roads to motorists. The study is being heralded as a confirmation that her policies are bringing about the desired changes in Parisian behavior.