D.C. lawmakers took up emergency legislation Tuesday aimed at the fire risks posed by lithium-ion batteries in e-bikes and scooters, as electric micromobility devices become an increasingly common sight across the District. The D.C. Council held its legislative session at the Wilson Building, where the Micromobility Fire Safety Standards Emergency Amendment Act of 2026 was among the requests placed on the agenda.
Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen introduced the measure, according to WJLA, which reported that the bill was placed on the council's November 10 agenda. The emergency legislation process lets the council act more quickly than standard procedure allows, though the station's report notes that key details remain unresolved — including exactly which devices or batteries would be covered and what obligations retailers or consumers would face.
Those open questions matter because lithium-ion batteries can overheat and enter thermal runaway when they are damaged, defective, or improperly charged, a failure mode that can trigger rapidly spreading fires and hazardous gas releases, the outlet's report explains. In apartment buildings and other shared residential spaces, a single battery fire can threaten multiple households at once, underscoring why the proposal has drawn attention even before its specifics are finalized.
A Recent Fire Hits Close to Home
The risk isn't theoretical in the District. D.C. Fire & EMS said a fire broke out on the third floor of a five-story apartment building in the 3700 block of 16th Street NW, and investigators told WJLA that a lithium-ion battery-powered scooter ignited inside the unit and caused the blaze.
That incident echoes a broader pattern the Consumer Federation of America has flagged: lithium-ion battery fires have increased dramatically as micromobility devices have multiplied, resulting in deaths, serious injuries, and significant property damage, according to the Consumer Federation of America. The group had already submitted testimony supporting a related but separate measure, D.C. Bill 26-0244, the Micromobility Fire Safety Standards Act of 2025, which proposed requiring that covered electric bicycles, electric mobility devices, and traction batteries sold, distributed, manufactured, or offered for lease or rent in the District meet recognized safety standards.
Why Awareness Gaps Make This Harder
Part of the challenge facing any new rule is that many riders don't fully understand what they're charging. A 2024 survey from UL Standards & Engagement found that 53% of e-bike owners and 54% of e-scooter owners didn't know their device was powered by a lithium-ion battery in the first place. The same report found that U.S. e-bike sales leaped by 269% between 2019 and 2022, a surge that has outpaced public understanding of how to charge the devices safely.
The survey also found troubling charging habits: nearly half of e-bike riders who charge at home, 49%, are blocking their home's fire exits while doing so, and more than half of surveyed users, 53%, leave their e-bikes or e-scooters plugged in even after they reach a full charge. UL Standards & Engagement points to existing safety benchmarks — UL 2849 for e-bikes, UL 2272 for personal e-mobility devices, and UL 2271 for the lithium-ion batteries inside them — as reference points for manufacturers and regulators.
At the federal level, the Consumer Product Safety Commission advises people to always be present when charging micromobility products and never to charge them while sleeping or away from home. A Federal Register notice on the subject states that over a five-year period from 2019 through 2023, the CPSC was aware of 227 unique incidents involving fires, explosions, gas releases, burns, overheating, and smoke inhalation tied to micromobility products, though the publicly available excerpt of that notice is incomplete and doesn't specify further detail.
How Other Cities Have Handled It
Washington wouldn't be the first city to try regulating battery safety for e-bikes and scooters. New York City's government has said that covered micromobility devices and the batteries they use must be certified to accredited lab safety standards set by local law in order to be sold or rented in the city, according to the City of New York.
Whether D.C.'s emergency amendment will follow a similar certification model, and how it would be enforced, remains unclear from Tuesday's proceedings. The proposal also raises questions about what guidance residents would receive if their existing devices don't meet whatever requirements eventually take effect. In the meantime, fire safety officials' general advice for residents centers on using manufacturer-approved chargers, avoiding damaged or modified batteries, and keeping charging devices away from exits and combustible materials.
