A Boca Raton man says an e-bike battery he bought on Amazon blew up while it was charging in his home, turning a routine plug-in into a blaze that left him with serious, permanent burns. He filed suit on May 1 against Amazon and the bike’s manufacturer, Bigniu Technology Inc., asking for a jury trial and more than $50,000 in damages. The case started in Palm Beach County circuit court but has since been transferred to the U.S. Southern District Court in West Palm Beach.
According to the complaint, as reported by Bicycle Retailer and Industry News, plaintiff Saul Santiago Hernandez bought a Bigniu BG10 in May 2024. About two months later, while the battery was charging at his Boca Raton home, it allegedly “suddenly exploded” and “caught the plaintiff's room and body on fire,” causing severe burns and other injuries. The same report notes that the model is listed on Amazon as the “BG-X Electric Bike for Adults,” advertised with a 1,500 watt motor and a top speed of more than 34 miles per hour, which is well above what is normally considered a low speed e-bike. Hernandez claims the bike was defectively designed and manufactured and is seeking a judgment exceeding $50,000, plus costs and any additional relief the court finds appropriate.
How e-bikes are classified
Under federal law, low speed electric bicycles are treated as consumer products, with a hard line drawn at a motor of less than 750 watts and a motor driven top speed below 20 miles per hour in 15 U.S.C. §2085. The bike industry’s three class system, now adopted in most states, allows Class 3 pedal assist bikes to help riders up to 28 miles per hour, as outlined by PeopleForBikes. A model advertised at 1,500 watts and claiming speeds above 34 miles per hour would sit outside both the federal product safety baseline and the common class limits, raising thorny questions about labeling, import status, and where a machine like that really belongs in public.
Amazon's legal exposure
In product liability cases, plaintiffs are increasingly targeting online marketplaces such as Amazon and arguing that the platform should be treated as the seller or importer when a third party listing allegedly injures a customer. Courts across the country have split on that theory, but appellate rulings like Oberdorf v. Amazon show that judges can, in specific circumstances, treat Amazon as a seller for liability purposes. That legal backdrop has become a key talking point for lawyers who sue online retail platforms over allegedly dangerous products.
Safety record and recalls
Concerns over e-bike and battery safety are not theoretical. In 2022, the Consumer Product Safety Commission recalled about 22,000 Ancheer e-bikes after reports that their lithium ion batteries could ignite, explode, or spark, creating fire and burn hazards, according to the CPSC recall notice. Episodes like that have fueled calls for clearer labeling, tougher testing of imported battery systems, and tighter oversight of low cost, high power models sold online.
Hernandez’s lawsuit claims the e-bike’s design and manufacture were defective and alleges that Amazon imported and sold the model. The case will now unfold in federal court in West Palm Beach, according to Bicycle Retailer and Industry News. The outcome could help shape how courts treat online marketplaces in battery failure lawsuits and could spur fresh scrutiny of high power e-bikes offered at bargain prices on the internet.
