A delivery worker swaps e-bike batteries using a battery swap cabinet piloted in 2024. Credit: NYC DOT
25 Flagship Charging Sites Will Improve Quality of Life for New Yorkers by Reducing Fire Risks Related to Unsafe Charging Practices While Supporting Delivery Workers
Since 2022, Lithium-Ion Batteries—Many Uncertified—Have Caused 900 Fires in New York City, Killing 30 New Yorkers and Injuring 400 More.
The city will begin the process to install e-bike battery-swapping and charging cabinets at 25 locations in neighborhoods with the highest delivery traffic. The new outdoor certified battery-swapping cabinets will provide a safe and convenient alternative to home charging, which can lead to deadly and difficult to extinguish fires. The cabinets will promote the use of high-quality certified batteries that are regularly monitored and inspected.
All battery-swapping cabinets will be equipped with fire suppression features, real-time battery health monitoring, and automatic alerts to the system provider to enhance safety. NYC DOT will work in tandem with FDNY to ensure all cabinets are properly certified to applicable UL standards and that all sites meet required clearances prior to installation.
Delivery workers will be able to use the full network of public battery-swapping cabinets through a paid membership. Based on feedback from delivery workers and advocates, NYC DOT will work to ensure access to charging infrastructure remains affordable and accessible. Full membership details will be shared at a later date.
Battery-swapping cabinets will be placed strategically to minimize conflicts with pedestrian circulation and to maintain street safety. Additionally, with standardized, certified batteries provided by approved vendors, users can swap batteries in under a minute.
NYC DOT will gather feedback on site selection, design, and implementation, with preliminary utility upgrades planned for 2026, and the first cabinet installations planned for 2027.
To meet growing e-bike and traditional bike ridership throughout the city, DOT has also installed wider bike lanes along its busiest routes and educated the public and delivery workers about safe and legal e-bike use. In spring 2025, the city launched an e-bike trade-in program for delivery workers to exchange uncertified e-bikes and illegal mopeds for legal, fire-safe e-bikes and batteries. The city also established “microhubs” to shift deliveries from large, congestion-causing trucks to more sustainable modes, such as cargo e-bikes and smaller electric vehicles.
Department of Sustainable Delivery
With the rapid growth of the same-day delivery sector throughout the five boroughs, the Adams administration has formed a new team of transportation officials to bring more accountability to app companies and delivery workers using all legal tools currently at its disposal.
The Department of Sustainable Delivery is a team of data and policy analysts and peace officers within NYC DOT, who focus on methods to improve traffic and vehicle safety and work to hold delivery app companies accountable for public safety.
The administration has proposed comprehensive legislation to the City Council to hold apps accountable by:
- Licensing the delivery apps
- Establishing safe delivery times and worker protections
- Penalizing app companies that break the law
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