The US e-bike battery rule reaches its last public hearing: what buyers should check now

Where the rule stands

The CPSC published its proposed safety standard for lithium-ion batteries in micromobility products on 24 June 2026. Written comments closed on 24 August. On 5 October the agency announced a virtual meeting for oral comments starting at 10 am Eastern time on 21 October, with requests to speak due by 15 October.^1,2

The proposal covers e-bikes, e-scooters, self-balancing scooters, e-skateboards, e-unicycles and hybrids of these. It also reaches batteries sold separately, aftermarket chargers and the parts in e-bike conversion kits. It is still a proposal. Charjin found no date for a final rule in the agency's notices.^1,3

What it would require

The agency would make three existing voluntary standards mandatory: UL 2849 for e-bike electrical systems, UL 2272 for other personal e-mobility devices and UL 2271 for user-replaceable battery packs. It would add tamper-resistant battery enclosures, a test of charging straight after discharge, a reverse-polarity test and revised warning labels.^1,3

Products manufactured after a proposed 180-day effective date would have to comply. The CPSC says the voluntary standards alone do not adequately address the hazards it found.¹

Its case rests on 227 incidents from 2019 to 2023 involving micromobility battery systems, linked to 39 deaths and 181 injuries. Fires accounted for 195 of those incidents and all 39 deaths.¹

Charjin's cost check

CPSC staff estimate the compliance cost at $230 per e-bike, $114.86 per e-scooter and $162.79 per other micromobility product. They also estimate that only about 11% of e-bikes currently comply with UL 2849.¹

Those figures explain where the pressure will fall. On a $1,000 e-bike, $230 is 23% of the price; on a $3,000 model it is under 8%. If the costs are passed on, the cheapest uncertified imports would see the largest proportional rise. Staff expect demand to dip, but do not expect a significant market effect.¹

What already applies, in New York and the UK

New York City has required certification for sale, lease or rental since 16 September 2023: UL 2849 for e-bikes, UL 2272 for other devices and UL 2271 for batteries. Laws passed in 2024 raised the maximum penalty to $2,000 per device type and let the city close repeat-offending shops.⁴

The UK has no equivalent mandatory certification. Since 12 December 2024, statutory guidelines from the Office for Product Safety and Standards have set out what e-bike battery makers and sellers must consider, including a battery management system that prevents thermal runaway. They point to BS EN 50604-1 for batteries and BS EN 15194 for e-bikes, and record at least 10 deaths and almost 200 fires linked to these batteries in 2023.⁵

Enforcement is still catching unsafe imports. On 21 September 2026 the regulator published two serious-risk reports: a Fafrees FF20 CUV e-bike sold via Amazon with an incorrectly rated fuse in its charger plug and no valid Declaration of Conformity, and an unbranded e-bike whose plug had no fuse. Both were rejected at the border.^6,7

What is still unknown

The final text could change after the hearing, and so could the effective date. Analysts at Battery Design note that a final federal rule could also override state and local requirements that differ on the same hazards. Buyers in New York should watch whether the city's own rules change as a result.^3,1