There's plenty of large lithium deposits in the United States to make us completely independent from any international sources. The problem is that the federal government won't allow the mining and processing of them in most states (which would open up lots of job opportunities if this were to happen). Not only that, but if they were mined and processed locally, both the higher costs and the weather fluctuations across different regions of America makes it just as susceptible to fires & explosions (no matter where the battery comes from).
Depending on the American company that is sourcing their lithium batteries from China (or some other country), there are some stringent quality checks that has to happen before these companies takes possession of them and there's also regulations in place that American companies have to abide by.
As far as the e-bikes in NYC, the location and huge population there degrades the lithium batteries faster. First is the extreme cold temperatures during the winter season and many of these e-bikes are publicly shared, meaning they are subjected to more wear & tear, abuse, road salt flying up and entering many of the crevices where the battery is found, exposure to the elements such as rain, etc...
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