Electric Bikes Conversion Kits EMTBS eRoad/Commuting What's New?

UK to Harmonise Electric Bike Law with Europe?

hoppy

hoppy

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May 25, 2010
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flecc said:
P.S. to the above, added 15.55, 25th February:

The new EAPC regulations have passed through the committee stage in parliament, and minister Claire Perry included the following statement in her report:

There is one more point to respond to. The twist and go classifications will be permitted up to 15.5 mph. A vehicle under that limit will be designated as an EAPC, because it is considered to be a benefit to elderly and less able people. Any twist and go vehicle that can achieve a speed above that will be classified as a moped. Also, an information plate defining what an EAPC is will be fitted on vehicles, so hopefully there will be no doubt about that.
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I think that is fantastic news and from the minister herself! I wrote to the DfT on just those lines. Somehow if type approval is still needed it will be as an EAPC and NOT as a moped so all the EAPC advantages will remain.
 
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shemozzle999

shemozzle999

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Sep 28, 2009
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I have also received an email from the DfT yesterday with virtually the same detail as posted by HelenJ in the News and Features section of this site.

I am now happy that I can make my electrical bicycles legal after 6th April 2015 by affixing a label with the following details:

"from April 6 2015 the requirement will be that the manufacturer, maximum continuous rated output and maximum assisted cut-off -speed shall be marked on the cycle"

and that grandfather rights will be applied to my existing electric bicycles after the 1st January 2016 as long as I affix the label .

I suggest that existing owners of electric bicycles contact their supplier and request a label to make them legal and obtain future grandfather rights.

A simple laser written self adhesive thin aluminum label should suffice - a small price to pay to absolve them from their liabilities.
 
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JamesW

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Nov 17, 2014
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Last time I did this it was suggested that I should do it myself. They supplied the kit, I mounted it on my bike!
 
jonathan75

jonathan75

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Apr 24, 2013
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Hertfordshire
shemozzle999 said:
Hopefully the regulation has been passed and will come into existence on 6th April 2015 - awaiting DfT confirmation.

http://www.theyworkforyou.com/search/?q=Electrically+Assisted+Pedal+Cycles+(Amendment)+Regulations+2015+
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Happily it looks like the Lords passed the motion that the Statutory Instrument laying down the regulations be made law. I don't think it requires royal assent because it is made by the secretary of state for transport through her powers under the RTA 1984. In other words it should come into force on schedule. http://myparliament.info/Debates/Lords/2015-03-03/9050
 
shemozzle999

shemozzle999

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Sep 28, 2009
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Received from DfT yesterday:

"I can confirm that they are still on track to be introduced on the 6th April"

Now looking forward to Monday.

Thanks to all involved in resolving this issue.
 
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flecc

flecc

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Thanks for the confirmation, this has been a long time coming, considering that it should have happened by 10th November 2003 latest.

Only 11 years, 4 months and 26 days late!

Not quite the worst example of slow UK governance, I know of one far worse, but bad enough.

Now there's the long wait to see if we'll ever get the S class high speed e-bikes.
.
 
T

trex

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May 15, 2011
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I could not find any mention of the throttle in that document, so does it mean that the use of the throttle continue to be permitted?
 
flecc

flecc

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trex said:
I could not find any mention of the throttle in that document, so does it mean that the use of the throttle continue to be permitted?
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I'm afraid not. As the DfT have confirmed, the type approval regulations for two or three wheeled motor vehicles only exempt true pedelecs, i.e. power ceases when pedalling stops. That regulation is now contained within order 168/2013, section 1, sub-section 2, item (h), (previously in 2002/24/EC).

That means any e-bike with a throttle has to go through type approval, but the DfT have said that if all the other conditions are met, one can still be regarded as an e-bike once that type approval has been obtained.

Freego-Wisper have said their bikes will be type approved, so hopefully others will follow suit.
.
 
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hoppy

hoppy

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flecc said:
I'm afraid not. As the DfT have confirmed, the type approval regulations for two or three wheeled motor vehicle only exempt true pedelecs, i.e. power ceases when pedalling stops. That regulation is now contained within order 168/2013, section 1, sub-section 2, item (h), (previously in 2002/24/EC).

That means any e-bike with a throttle has to go through type approval, but the DfT have said that if all the other conditions are met, one can still be regarded as an e-bike once that type approval has been obtained.

Freego-Wisper have said their bikes will be type approved, so hopefully others will follow suit.
.
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Does the requirement for type approval apply before 1.1.16?
 
flecc

flecc

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hoppy said:
Does the requirement for type approval apply before 1.1.16?
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No, because the type approval requirements for the L1e-A class will only be in force from 1.1.16.

Also grandfather rights apply to existing e-bikes with throttles, since none of these new regulations are retrospective.
.
 
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shemozzle999

shemozzle999

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awol said:
Is a plate like this going to be needed on the frame with the max cutoff speed on there too, or is my motor info sticker on the motor still ok ?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-Electric-bike-Bicycle-Rating-Plate-legal-requirement-VIN-Plate-Essentials-/111513589695?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item19f6ba57bf
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Here is the advice I received from the DfT on 25th February 2015. It looks like the speed rating is required on new bicycles from 6th April 2015.


Thank you for taking the time to write to the Secretary of State for Transport about

Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycles (EAPC) grandfather rights for existing electric bicycles.

Your correspondence has been passed to us in International Vehicle Standards (IVS) as we have responsibility for vehicle safety.


The overarching EU legislation for two and three wheeled vehicles, EU
Regulation168/2013 (http://eurlex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2013:060:0052:0128:EN:PDF) enters into force on 1 January 2016 and mandates type approval for the new categories of powered cycles which includes ‘Twist and Go’ EAPCs. There is a staggered set of dates for each category to obtain type approval and these can be found in the annexes to the regulation.
Type approval can either be obtained by the vehicle manufacturer (if they are approving in volume) or by a motor vehicle Single Vehicle Approval (MSVA) conducted by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) for individuals to obtain approval. I attach our information sheet on the MSVA system which I hope you find helpful and you can also find further information by clicking on this link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/motorcycle-single-vehicle-approval-msva-forms-guides-and-manuals

The legislation will not be applied retrospectively and therefore cycles with ‘Twist and Go’ used before 1 January 2016 will not be mandated to undergo any Type Approval processes.


As part of the GB EAPC amending legislation, that will come into force on 6 April 2015, the requirement for the marking identification has been amended. Previously a plate showing the manufacturer, maximum continuous rated power output and voltage was necessary, from April 6 2015 the requirement will be that the manufacturer, maximum continuous rated output and maximum assisted cutoff speed shall be marked on the cycle. The changes also include the change to the motor power for bicycles (200W to 250W), an amendment to maximum assisted cut- off speed (15mph to 15.5 mph), removal of the weight limits and the inclusion of cycles with more than three wheels.

Although ‘Twist and Go’ cycles will require Type Approval according to the dates in EU 168/2013 the decision has been taken that cycles that have ‘Twist and Go’ capabilities up to 15.5 mph will not be considered as motor vehicles and therefore will not require registration, tax, insurance and rider licensing. Any cycle with ‘Twist and Go’ capability above this speed will be classed as a motor vehicle.

There is no change to the law with regards to age that remains in place, no person under the age of 14 may ride an EAPC.

Yours sincerely,

James Brown
 
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flecc

flecc

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Thanks Shemozzle999, odd that the new plating requirement comes in so quickly without any allowance for manufacturers to adjust. Even more troubling is the position for existing retail stock. Normally at least six months notice is given for retailers to clear stock, so some clarification is needed on that. Having said that, will all manufacturers even bother to plate? They never did comply with the EAPC plating requirements!

Another odd thing is that James Brown refers to the applicability dates of EU 168/2013 as being the ones to use. Those not specifically for i.c. L1e vehicles in Annex 4 give the date for existing types as 1.1.2018 and for new types of vehicle as 1.1.2017.

This means the pedelec requirements for such as the propulsion performance tests in section 10.1 are not required on 1.1.16 when the type approval comes into force. In one way that makes sense since 168/2013 states that no manufacturer applying from March 2013 can be refused a type approval conforming to that order. Clearly none of the applicability dates were reached then.

But I can't see anything listed applicable on 1.1.2016, so it seems the type approval test in that first year can only be very basic.
.
 
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