Senate Bill S5143

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Requires the commissioner of motor vehicles to create a bicycle with electric assist battery swapping pilot program in N.Y. city

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Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Transportation Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Date of Action	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Feb 19, 2025	referred to transportation

2025-S5143 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A2615
Current Committee:: Senate Transportation
Law Section:: Vehicle and Traffic Law
Laws Affected:: Add §1244, V & T L
Versions Introduced in 2023-2024 Legislative Session:: S8580, A7839

2025-S5143 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Requires the commissioner of motor vehicles to create a bicycle with electric assist battery swapping pilot program in a city with a population of one million or more.

2025-S5143 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S5143

SPONSOR: COMRIE
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to requiring
the commissioner of motor vehicles to create a bicycle with electric
assist battery swapping pilot program in a city with a population of one
million or more

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

To create a pilot for an electric bicycle battery rental and swapping
program, to reduce fire injuries and deaths from lithium-ion batteries

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 creates the electric assist battery swapping pilot program in
New York City. The pilot will be established within six months by the
Department of Motor Vehicles in consultation with the Departments of
Transportation of New York City and State. Battery swapping stations
will be located at all DMV locations in the city.  Participants in this

program will pay a one-time rental fee to DMV and then be able to
exchange drained batteries for fully charged ones, as often as needed.
The NYC Fire. Department will provide guidance on fire safety and
prevention as it relates to electric bicycle batteries. The pilot will
continue for one year, after which the Commissioner will report on it to
the governor and legislature.

Section 2 provides for an immediate effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Several recent deadly fires have made salient the need for safe use,
storage, and disposal of batteries for electric bicycles. Lithium-ion
batteries that are poorly-manufactured, misused, or aging are suscepti-
ble to malfunction and overheating and are extremely flammable. Yet,
purchasing new batteries may be cost-prohibitive for deliveristas or
others who rely on electric bikes. This bill will create a pilot for a
battery rental and swapping program in New York City. Electric bicycle
users can pay a flat fee then head to DMVs across NYC to return their
used batteries and get new ones as frequently as needed. By encouraging
more frequent replacement of batteries, we hope to increase safety from
fires caused by them. A transition to greater use of bicycles, including
electric ones, is crucial for New York to meet its climate goals.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2024: S8580 Comrie/ A7839 Cunningham

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:

To be determined.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Immediately.

2025-S5143 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   5143
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             February 19, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  COMRIE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Transportation
 
 AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in  relation  to  requiring
   the  commissioner  of motor vehicles to create a bicycle with electric
   assist battery swapping pilot program in a city with a  population  of
   one million or more
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. The vehicle and traffic law is  amended  by  adding  a  new
 section 1244 to read as follows:
   §  1244.  BICYCLE WITH ELECTRIC ASSIST BATTERY SWAPPING PILOT PROGRAM.
 1.  FOR PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION, "BATTERY SWAPPING STATION" SHALL  MEAN
 A  LOCATION  WHERE  BICYCLE  WITH  ELECTRIC ASSIST BATTERIES ARE STORED,
 CHARGED, AND AVAILABLE  FOR  BICYCLE  WITH  ELECTRIC  ASSIST  RIDERS  TO
 EXCHANGE.
   2.  (A) THE COMMISSIONER, IN CONSULTATION WITH THE COMMISSIONER OF THE
 DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND THE COMMISSIONER OF THE  DEPARTMENT  OF
 TRANSPORTATION  OF  THE CITY OF NEW YORK, SHALL ESTABLISH A BICYCLE WITH
 ELECTRIC ASSIST BATTERY SWAPPING PILOT PROGRAM IN A CITY  WITH  A  POPU-
 LATION  OF ONE MILLION OR MORE NO LATER THAN SIX MONTHS AFTER THE EFFEC-
 TIVE DATE OF THIS SECTION.
   (B) BATTERY SWAPPING STATIONS SHALL BE LOCATED AT  ALL  DEPARTMENT  OF
 MOTOR  VEHICLES  LOCATIONS IN A CITY WITH A POPULATION OF ONE MILLION OR
 MORE.  AT SUCH BATTERY SWAPPING STATIONS, BICYCLE WITH  ELECTRIC  ASSIST
 RIDERS  SHALL  BE  ABLE  TO EXCHANGE THEIR DRAINED BICYCLE WITH ELECTRIC
 ASSIST BATTERY FOR A FULLY CHARGED BATTERY.
   (C) IN ORDER TO UTILIZE SUCH A BATTERY  SWAPPING  STATION,  A  BICYCLE
 WITH  ELECTRIC  ASSIST  RIDER SHALL BE REQUIRED TO PAY A ONE-TIME RENTAL
 FEE TO THE DEPARTMENT. AFTER PAYMENT OF SUCH FEE, A BICYCLE  WITH  ELEC-
 TRIC ASSIST RIDER SHALL BE ABLE TO EXCHANGE BICYCLE WITH ELECTRIC ASSIST
 BATTERIES AS OFTEN AS NEEDED.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD05746-01-5

 S. 5143                             2
 
   3.  THE FIRE DEPARTMENT OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK SHALL PROVIDE GUIDANCE
 ON FIRE SAFETY AND PREVENTION RELATING TO BICYCLE WITH  ELECTRIC  ASSIST
 BATTERIES, AND THE COMMISSIONER SHALL FOLLOW SUCH GUIDELINES IN CREATING
 THE  BICYCLE WITH ELECTRIC ASSIST PILOT PROGRAM AND IN THE ESTABLISHMENT
 AND MAINTENANCE OF BATTERY SWAPPING STATIONS.
   4.  SUCH  PILOT  PROGRAM SHALL CONTINUE FOR A PERIOD OF ONE YEAR AFTER
 ITS ESTABLISHMENT. NO LATER THAN TWO YEARS AFTER THE EFFECTIVE  DATE  OF
 THIS  SECTION, THE COMMISSIONER SHALL REPORT TO THE GOVERNOR, THE TEMPO-
 RARY PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER  OF  THE  ASSEMBLY  ON  THE
 RESULTS  OF  SUCH  PILOT PROGRAM AND ANY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR LEGISLATIVE
 ACTION.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

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Senate Bill S5143

Sponsored By

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Transportation Committee

Actions

2025-S5143 (ACTIVE) - Details

2025-S5143 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2025-S5143 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S5143 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

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Sponsored By

Leroy Comrie

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Transportation Committee

Actions

2025-S5143 (ACTIVE) - Details

2025-S5143 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2025-S5143 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S5143 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments