Update: scroll to the bottom for an update straight from Rad Power on the issue.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is advising the public to “immediately stop using lithium-ion batteries for RAD Power Bikes.” Two batteries manufactured by RAD have unexpectedly caught fire and/or exploded. The batteries in question are model numbers RP-1304 and HL-RP-S1304.
RAD Battery Issues
According to the CPSC, either of the two RAD batteries caused at least 31 fires. They go on to claim that of the reported fires, 12 have caused $734,500 worth of damage. Fortunately, there are no reports of bodily injury due to the batteries.
The CPSC’s statement goes on to say that some of the incidents happened when the bikes were not in use. In fact, several incidents apparently occurred when the battery was not being charged or the bike was in storage.
The two batteries in question are in ten e-bike models:
- RadWagon 4
- RadCity HS 4
- RadRover High Step 5
- RadCity Step Thru 3
- RadRover Step Thru 1
- RadRunner 2
- RadRunner 1
- RadRunner Plus
- RadExpand 5
Individual batteries were either sold on RAD Power Bikes’ website, at Best Buy, or at bike shops.
So, Why No Recall?
According to the CPSC: “The importer, Rad Power Bikes Inc., of Seattle, Washington has refused to agree to an acceptable recall. Given its financial situation, Rad Power Bikes has indicated to CPSC that it is unable to offer replacement batteries or refunds to all consumers.”
Several cycling media outlets have reported on the potential closure of the brand in recent weeks. Like many others in the bike industry, the brand is struggling with swollen inventory numbers post-pandemic. If they can’t secure additional funding by January, it will close its Seattle factory and lay off 64 employees.
These financial issues are making it impossible for the struggling company to conduct any recall. Simply put, issuing a recall will, for sure, put RAD out of business. Therefore, they cannot issue a recall on the batteries.
As a part of the CPSC’s public warning, RAD was able to include a statement:
“Rad’s Safe Shield batteries and semi-integrated batteries are not subject to the agency’s statement. Rad had the batteries re-tested by third-party labs as part of this investigation; the batteries passed these tests again. Nonetheless, in an effort to partner with the CPSC, Rad proposed multiple solutions to the agency in good faith. Rad informed the agency that its demand to replace all batteries, regardless of condition, would immediately put Rad out of business, which would be of no benefit to our riders. Rad is disappointed that it could not reach a resolution that best serves our riders and the industry at large. Rad reminds its customers to inspect batteries before use or charging and immediately stop using batteries that show signs of damage, water ingress, or corrosion, and to contact Rad so we can support our riders.”
If you have one of the bikes or one of the batteries (RP-1304 and HL-RP-S1304), the CPSC urges you to remove the battery and dispose of it immediately. They ask that you don’t throw the battery away or give/sell it to someone else. Instead, dispose of it properly in accordance with local hazardous waste regulations and guidelines.
Update from Rad Power
After publishing this story, a spokesperson from Rad Power Bikes reached out and wanted to provide “some additional points of clarity.” Everything below is straight from Rad Power:
- The reported 31 incidents are from 100,000+ batteries, a fraction of a percent of total batteries sold. In addition, the CPSC’s statement does not apply to all Rad batteries, notably not our Safe Shield or semi-integrated batteries.
- Reputable, independent third-party labs tested Rad’s batteries, both as part of our typical product testing and again during the CPSC investigation, and confirmed compliance with the highest industry standards. Our understanding is that the CPSC does not dispute the conclusions of these tests. It is also our understanding that the battery itself was not independently examined by the CPSC per industry-accepted test standards. These facts make the headline we should have agreed to a recall misleading and fails to include several facts.
Rad Power Bikes firmly stands behind our batteries and our reputation as leaders in the ebike industry, and strongly disagrees with the CPSC’s characterization of certain Rad batteries as defective or unsafe.
We have a long and well-documented track record of building safe, reliable ebikes equipped with batteries that meet or exceed rigorous international safety standards, including UL-2271 and UL-2849. The CPSC proposed requiring these UL standards in January 2025, but has yet to adopt them. Rad ebikes have met these standards for years.
Reputable, independent third-party labs tested Rad’s batteries, both as part of our typical product testing and again during the CPSC investigation, and confirmed compliance with the highest industry standards. Our understanding is that the CPSC does not dispute the conclusions of these tests. It is also our understanding that the battery itself was not independently examined per industry-accepted test standards.
Context Matters
The incident rate associated with the batteries in the CPSC’s notice is a fraction of one percent. While that number is low, we know even one incident is one too many, and we are heartbroken by any report involving our products.
It is also widely understood that all lithium-ion batteries—whether in ebikes, e-scooters, laptops, or power tools—can pose a fire risk if damaged, improperly charged, exposed to excess moisture, subjected to extreme temperatures or improper modifications to the electrical components, all of which Rad repeatedly advises against in user manuals and customer safety guides. Contrary to the CPSC’s statement, mere exposure to water and debris does not create a hazard; rather, significant water exposure, as warned against in our manuals, can pose a hazard.
These risks apply across industries and exist even in products that are fully UL compliant. Ebike batteries are significantly more powerful than household device batteries, which is why proper care and maintenance are so important and why Rad continues to invest in rider education and safety innovation.
Rad’s Cooperation with the CPSC
Rad hoped this process would be an opportunity to work with the agency and others in the industry to improve rider education and offer clearer, more consistent safety guidance on how to use and store ebikes and their batteries safely.
Rad offered multiple good-faith solutions to address the agency’s concerns, including offering consumers an opportunity to upgrade to Safe Shield batteries (described below) at a substantial discount. CPSC rejected this opportunity. The significant cost of the all-or-nothing demand would force Rad to shut its doors immediately, leaving no way to support our riders or our employees.
A Commitment to Safety and Innovation
Rad has been a pioneer in promoting and advancing energy-efficient transportation, and our efforts to innovate and build safer, better batteries led to the development of the Rad Safe Shield battery. However, a product that incorporates new, safer, and better technology does not thereby mean that preceding products are not safe or defective. For example, when anti-lock brakes were developed, that did not render earlier cars unsafe; it simply meant a better, safer technology was available to consumers.
That kind of thinking discourages innovation and limits the accessibility that ebikes bring to millions of people. Without the adoption of clear, common-sense standards, no electric bike manufacturer can operate with confidence.
