The need to improve battery safety is becoming more and more urgent. As more EVs hit the roads, e-bikes fill our garage and energy storage systems get installed, the risks associated with battery failures increase. To mitigate these risks, regulations and stricter standards need to be applied to battery manufacturing and production, along with the batteries themselves.
The Call for Action
Take the recent uptick in e-bike-related fire incidents as an example. The New York Fire Department reports they’ve seen a 53% spike in structural fires linked to lithium-ion batteries so far this year. As battery technology becomes more central to energy and transportation, the stakes will only continue to rise. Safety measures must be embedded into batteries from the start to prevent even more damage. That’s why we’re calling for a more proactive and forward-thinking approach to battery safety regulation.
Technology Drives Safety
Recently, 24M had the opportunity to file comments with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) in a proceeding aimed at updating maintenance and operation standards for battery energy storage systems. Our comments urged the Commission to recognize in-cell fire prevention technologies as part of the industry’s best practices.
We stated: “Technology can and should drive regulation. The Commission has recognized that battery storage system technologies and standards have matured over time, so its rules should champion a flexible regulatory environment to accommodate new safety improvements that could benefit the entire industry through increased safety (fewer fires and explosions means improved public and worker safety); reliability (fewer outages or damage to facilities); reduced costs of compliance (intrinsic safety can avoid expensive fire system retrofits and/or catastrophic thermal runaways); and environmental and health benefits (preventing fires avoids toxic smoke and water runoff from firefighting).”
The message landed. Recently, the CPUC unanimously passed a final resolution adopting new standards that included 24M’s recommendation, encouraging the adoption of performance-based standards for advanced battery safety technologies.
A Safer Battery Future
For 24M, this is just the beginning. We remain committed to working with state, federal and local regulatory agencies to push for regulations that prioritize proactive safety measures. As recalls and safety alarms show, the cost of inaction is high. Standards and regulations must evolve alongside innovation — especially when that innovation can prevent catastrophic failures before they even start.
Want to learn more about what 24M is doing to improve battery safety?
