Hi all! Jokey title aside, I own 4 e-bikes already, three off the shelf and one conversion. Currently getting more into the conversion/custom built side of things. Hoping to learn a thing or two here and hopefully help others out at some point. Cheers!
Does anyone actually use the term 'Pedelec'?
- Thread starter Sparkomatic
- Start date
I use the term 'pedelec' for e-bikes that has torque sensing and no throttle, you get x times your own input power.
Interesting. I know a few people with e-bikes now and have never heard the term Pedelec. Usually it's ebike, eeb or digital bike
'Pedelec' does seem an odd term and not in that common use. Some people use it for 'legal' e-bikes allowed on roads, bridleways etc. The official term for that is 'Electrically assisted pedal cycle (EAPC)', but I've never heard that in general use.
b.t.w. Why isn't it pedalec anyway?
I'd not associated 'pedelec' with the type of sensor.
b.t.w. Why isn't it pedalec anyway?
I think we imported the word 'pedelec' from German, as in pedelec.de. EAPCs are commonly called pedelec in German speaking countries. If I remember correctly, 50cycles used it on their website.
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I always use pedelec to distinguish them as the legal bureacracy free bicycles that they remain. Of course it shouldn't have been necessary since we originally possessed the term Moped (motor + pedals) which quite accurately described our EAPCs, but sadly the chumps in the government's department of transport purloined the word Moped for the 30mph restricted 50cc Vespa style scooters, even though they have no pedals.
The use of e-bike for an EAPC is completely wrong since it only infers an electrically driven machine. An e-bike is a motor cycle requiring registration and all else that motor vehicles suffer.
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The use of e-bike for an EAPC is completely wrong since it only infers an electrically driven machine. An e-bike is a motor cycle requiring registration and all else that motor vehicles suffer.
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The term e-bike is perfectly correct when applied to an EAPC. However, many other vehicles can also be correctly labelled e-bike as well, so it isn't a correct term where you want to be precise about the legal status.
Even using the term 'legal e-bike' isn't strictly correct; most 'illegal' (non EAPC) e-bikes are not illegal as such, just being used in an illegal way.
Agreed I was speaking in precise legal terms, but in English those are the only terms that matter for trouble free usage here.
So I disagree that e-bike is perfectly correct for an EAPC, since it is so wide open to the misunderstanding and misuse we are currently suffering from.
Remember that the start point in our law is that any vehicle with any form of motor drive is a motor vehicle in law, unless it has a specific exemption from Type Approval. There is no such exemption for e-bikes, so linguistically as well as legally they are motor cycles.
The relevant exemption is for "pedal cycles with pedal assistance", if they satisfy the limitations of the exemption.
My advice if ever stopped by a police officer or other authority is never say the machine is an e-bike, just say it is an assisted bicycle, if necessary adding that it is exempted from motor vehicle laws.
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Thanks, I believe that's wise advice and a better plan than mine. I was going to say "Orificers! This is a EN15194!" and point at this label. Authentic Chingrish, thus genuine and completely beyond reproach.
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