Towards new European regulation for fast electric bicycles

Wanting to rethink legislation governing two-wheeled electric bicycles, the European Commission plans to propose fast electric bicycles a new framework that could accelerate their adoption. 

The European Commission announced a revision of the legislation on light electric vehicles (mopeds, motorcycles, ATVs, bogies) covered by Directive 168/2013. We remind you that according to this 2013 regulation, fast electric bicycles (speed bikes) are classified as mopeds and therefore meet certain requirements: wearing a helmet, compulsory AM license, ban on cycling, registration and compulsory insurance. ...

For players in the electric bike sector, this revision will be especially interesting because speed bikes could change their classification and therefore the rules that mandate their sale. The LEVA-EU, which advocated the revision, believes it could open the door to a larger market for retailers and manufacturers who sell across Europe.

LEVA-EU campaigns for fast electric bikes in Europe

The European Commission has hired the British Transport Research Laboratory to study which vehicles are best suited for regulatory inspection. All light electric vehicles must be thoroughly tested: e-scooters, self-balancing vehicles, e-bikes and cargo ships.

LEVA-EU is campaigning for a revision of the legislation regarding high-performance electric bicycles of classes L1e-a and L1e-b: ” Speed ​​bikes [L1e-b, editor's note] have experienced great difficulties in developing in the market because they are classified as classic mopeds. However, the conditions for using mopeds are not suitable for fast e-bikes. Therefore, their mass adoption is not an option. In the L1e-a, motorized bikes, the situation is even worse. In this category of e-bikes over 250W, limited to 25 km / h, there have been practically no homologations since 2013. . 

Electric bicycles are considered conventional

Electric bicycles up to 250 watts and a speed limit of 25 km / h are excluded from regulation 168/2013. They also received the status of regular bicycles in the road rules of all participating countries. This is why, much to our delight, this category has grown tremendously over the years.