E-bike battery safety, and what California changed in 2026.
Since January 1, 2026, California’s SB 1271 bars selling or leasing an e-bike unless its battery has been tested by an accredited lab to a standard referenced in UL 2849 or EN 15194 — and e-scooters to UL 2272. Replacement batteries and chargers are covered too, and each product has to carry the lab’s mark and the standard it met.
Stop riding and stop charging if you see any of these
- The battery pack is swollen, bulging, or no longer sits flat in its cradle
- The pack or charger is hot to the touch rather than warm
- Any hissing, popping, or crackling sound from the battery
- A sharp chemical or sweet solvent smell
- Visible leaking, discoloration, or melted plastic anywhere on the pack
- The pack was in a crash, dropped hard, or submerged
- Smoke or a burning smell from the motor after a climb
- Brakes that grind, or a lever that pulls all the way to the bar
If any of these apply: move the bike outside and away from the house if you can do so safely, don’t put it back on the charger, and don’t put it in a car. Then call me at (949) 891-5278 before doing anything else. A swollen or damaged pack is not a wait-and-see situation, and I’d rather talk you through it for free than have you find out the hard way.
Rad Power Bikes batteries RP-1304, RAD-S1304Y and HL-RP-S1304
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission warned owners to stop using these three Rad battery models, which were used on the RadWagon 4, RadCity HS 4, RadRover High Step 5, RadCity Step Thru 3, RadRover Step Thru 1, RadRunner 1 and 2, RadRunner Plus and RadExpand 5. CPSC reported 31 fires. Its advice: remove the battery from the bike, dispose of it through your local household hazardous waste program, and don’t sell or give it away. It is a warning rather than a recall, because Rad did not agree to a recall.
The model number is printed on the battery’s label. If yours matches, stop charging it — I can read the label for you and fit a replacement pack.
The law
What SB 1271 actually requires
California Senate Bill 1271 took effect on January 1, 2026. In plain terms it says: if an e-bike, a battery, or a charging system is sold or leased in California, it has to have been tested by an accredited laboratory to a recognized safety standard, and it has to carry a label saying so.
Three things it means for you
- Your existing bike is not retroactively illegal. The law governs what can be sold, not what you already own. Nobody is going to cite you for riding a 2022 bike.
- A replacement battery sold today does have to be tested and labeled. A pack sold on its own must meet a battery standard referenced in UL 2849 or EN 15194, or be part of a system tested to one of them. An unlabeled pack from a marketplace listing can’t legally be sold here.
- Conversion kits and chargers are covered too. The law’s definition of a storage battery includes conversion-kit batteries, and a charger sold for a particular bike or battery must be certified for use with it.
Rental and shared fleets have until January 1, 2028 to comply. If you run a short-term rental or a hospitality fleet in South Orange County, that’s a real deadline worth planning around, and I can audit a fleet and document what needs replacing.
This is a plain-language summary of Health and Safety Code §§26300–26305, checked against the bill text on September 21, 2026 — not legal advice. Second-hand sales have some exceptions to the labeling rule.
Reading the label
The four codes you’ll see, and what each covers
The label is usually on the battery pack itself, often on the underside where it meets the frame, and sometimes on the frame near the bottom bracket. If you can’t find one, that’s worth knowing about.
| Standard | Covers |
|---|---|
| UL 2849 | The e-bike electrical systemBattery, charger, motor and controller evaluated together. California requires an e-bike's battery to be tested to a standard referenced in UL 2849 or EN 15194. |
| EN 15194 | The European e-bike standardCalifornia accepts it as an alternative to UL 2849. |
| UL 2271 | Light electric vehicle battery packsOne of four battery standards UL 2849 accepts (with UL 2580, UL 62133 and UL 2054). California names it for batteries sold for e-scooters and other powered mobility devices. |
| UL 2272 | E-scooters, hoverboards and other personal e-mobility devicesCalifornia requires these to be tested to UL 2272 before they can be sold or leased. Not an e-bike standard. |
I check certification labeling on every bike I work on, at no charge, and I won’t install an uncertified pack — not because of the law, but because those are the packs that burn houses down.
Charging
Eight charging habits that matter
Makers quote 500 to 1,000 full charge cycles for a lithium pack — Diamant calls 500 to 700 standard, about three to five years for most riders. How you charge is a big part of where in that range you land, and all of what decides whether it ever becomes dangerous.
- 01
Use only the charger that came with the bike, or a verified OEM replacement
A charger that doesn't match the pack can overcharge it. California now requires a charger sold for a battery to be certified for that battery.
- 02
Charge at room temperature, indoors, away from anything flammable
Never charge below freezing (EM3ev warns of lithium plating), and garages in summer are hotter than you think.
- 03
Charge where you'd notice a problem — not while asleep or out
Almost every serious battery fire happens unattended.
- 04
Never charge in a doorway, hallway or the only exit
A battery fire that blocks your only way out is the worst case of all.
- 05
Unplug when it's full; don't leave it on the charger for days
Sitting at 100% accelerates capacity loss even when the BMS is healthy.
- 06
Store at 30–60% if the bike will sit for a month or more
Bosch's guidance: storing full or empty ages a pack; keep it somewhere dry around 20 °C (68 °F).
- 07
Let a hot pack cool before charging after a hard ride
Charging a warm pack is harder on cells than any other normal habit.
- 08
Never charge a pack that's been crashed, dropped hard, or soaked
Internal damage isn't visible and a damaged cell can fail hours later.
Before you buy a battery
“My range dropped” is five different problems
A new pack is $400 to $1,200. Before anyone spends that, these get checked first — the cheap, overlooked causes before the expensive one:
- Tire pressure. A heavy bike on soft tires loses range dramatically, and almost nobody checks it.
- Brake drag. A slightly misaligned caliper you can’t hear costs real watt-hours over a ride.
- Chain and drivetrain condition. A dry, stretched chain wastes power the motor has to make up.
- Battery mount contacts. Corroded or spread contacts cause voltage sag under load — more likely on bikes stored near the coast.
- Actual capacity fade. Only after the first four. Measured against the pack’s rated watt-hours, with cell-group balance checked.
A $59 battery health test tells you which of the five it is, and the fee comes off the bill if you have me do the repair. That’s the single best money you can spend before replacing a pack.
Book service
Want your battery checked?
Takes a minute. You'll hear back within 30 minutes during business hours — and if it's faster to just call, call.
- Free quote before any work starts
- No trip fee in San Clemente, Dana Point or San Juan Cap
- 90 days on all labor
- Nothing gets added to the bill without a call first
FAQ
Battery questions
My range dropped a lot. Do I need a new battery?
Probably not, and this is the most expensive assumption in e-bike ownership. Lost range has at least five common causes and only one of them is a worn battery: low tire pressure, a dragging brake rotor, a worn or dry chain, colder weather, corroded battery mount contacts, and actual capacity fade all produce the identical symptom. A $59 battery health test measures capacity against the pack's rated watt-hours and checks balance across cell groups, which tells you definitively which it is. That fee is waived if you have me do the repair. A new pack is $400 to $1,200 — it's worth $59 to find out whether you need one.
Is my e-bike battery legal in California?
Almost certainly, if you already own it — California's SB 1271 governs what can be sold or leased, not what you already ride. Since January 1, 2026 it bars selling or leasing an e-bike unless its battery has been tested by an accredited lab to a standard referenced in UL 2849 or EN 15194, and the product must carry the lab's mark and the standard. A replacement battery sold on its own has to meet a battery standard referenced in UL 2849 or EN 15194, a charger sold for a battery must be certified for it, and e-scooters must be tested to UL 2272. I check the certification label on every visit at no charge, and I won't install an unlabeled pack.
Something not answered here? Just ask — I’d rather talk it through than have you guess.