A delivery worker swaps e-bike batteries using a battery swap cabinet piloted in 2024. Credit: NYC DOT.
By Gus Saltonstall
Multiple electric-bike battery swapping cabinets and charging stations could be headed to the Upper West Side, according to a recent announcement from the city.
E-bike battery swapping cabinets provide a safe location where drivers can either plug in and charge dead e-bike batteries or pick up a full new battery.
Last week, Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the Department of Transportation unveiled a preliminary list of 50 possible locations throughout the five boroughs for where these cabinets will be installed.
Here are the proposed locations for the Upper West Side.
West 110th Street and Amsterdam Avenue
West 106th Street and Amsterdam Avenue
West 94th Street and Columbus Avenue
West 125th Street and 12th Avenue is also a proposed location for a charging station, which is steps away from Riverside Drive and the Hudson River Greenway.
“These e-bike battery swapping cabinets are about supporting workers, making our city safer and embracing the kinds of transportation New Yorkers are already turning to in growing numbers,” Mamdani said in a news release.
The battery swapping cabinets are specifically designed to mitigate the risk of fires caused by lithium-ion e-bike batteries; the fires can often be traced to low-quality batteries, improper charging in residential buildings, and/or a lack of safe storage space.
Along with the list of possible locations for the electric bike swapping cabinet, the DOT also launched a platform where New Yorkers can provide feedback on specific proposed locations, which you can do — HERE.
The portal will remain live until July 31, at which point the city will whittle down its preliminary list to 25 locations.
In 2024, the DOT conducted a six-month public e-bike battery charging pilot that concluded the “cabinets were safe, well-used and convenient for delivery workers.”
You can find out more about the incoming e-bike battery swapping cabinets and charging stations — HERE.
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