ETRA Proposes New European Regulations for e-Bikes
The latest news is that ETRA Proposes New European Regulations for e-Bikes. A motivated proposal to incorporate some changes in the regulations that govern electric bikes, pedal assisted cycles and electric mopeds has been submitted to European commission by ETRA. With a view to reach an agreement on such a proposal, a meeting had been called by LEVA and ETRA for industry concerned in Las Vegas and Brussels respectively. An increase in power from 250 W to 500 W as well as an increase in maximum unassisted speed from 25 km/hr to 32 km/hr was voted by industry in Vegas whereas the industry in the Brussels voted for increase in power only after a detailed and lengthy discussion. The current speed limit for mopeds performing low is 25 km/hr only and so this could lead the commission to be reluctant while granting permission for higher speed in electric bikes.
It was seen that the industry in Brussels were just not only concerned with the exclusion of desired specification of the pedal assisted bicycles from the type-approval but the 18 participants belonging to and representing 14 different countries also worked on a consensus that was regarding the definition of two new categories which can be introduced in the type-approval.
ETRA proposed the following definition for the cycles with pedal assistance which were not excluded from the type-approval: Cycles having pedal assistance and being equipped with one or more auxiliary electric motors which have combined maximum continuous rated power that does not exceed 1 kilowatts of which the output is usually cut off when the vehicle reaches the speed of 45 km/hr, or may be sooner, as the cyclist stops pedalling.
Also, a new category for low-performance mopeds and for open throttle electric cycles has been proposed by ETRA and defined as follows: Mopeds and cycles with one or more electric motor containing combined power not exceeding 1 KW and also a maximum design speed which not exceed 25 km/hr. ETRA needs as much support as possible from the concerned industry and for those interested, the full proposal is present at the ETRA official website.