Update on N.I. e-bike regs.

TedG

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 8, 2017
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Lisburn Co Antrim Northern Ireland UK
Many thanks Gazwald
I have just had a mail from my trusted MLA who is hoping to be allowed to speak tomorrow on the subject of e-bikes in N.I.
She sounds very confident but Mr Suspicious feels that there will have to be something annoying introduced to justify the three year delay.
If it indeed is a plate your image looks like it would satisfy Plod should he wish to inspect our bicycles.
 

Gazwald

Finding my (electric) wheels
Feb 28, 2020
16
7
Many thanks Gazwald
I have just had a mail from my trusted MLA who is hoping to be allowed to speak tomorrow on the subject of e-bikes in N.I.
She sounds very confident but Mr Suspicious feels that there will have to be something annoying introduced to justify the three year delay.
If it indeed is a plate your image looks like it would satisfy Plod should he wish to inspect our bicycles.
No problem at all.

Hopefully they actually get the ball rolling a bit further tomorrow. But much like myself I vision the worst outcome until I hear otherwise (a delay) but hopefully not, and a 3 year one at that. No need for us to be different from the mainland.

Again I think these stickers can vary as I've seen the same motors with different stickers but that one seems to cover what they talk about in the legislation.

So fingers crossed for a bright outcome tomorrow I guess
 
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Nealh

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 7, 2014
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West Sx RH
They might pull their finger out a bit now as the message is to avoid public transport so cycling will be an initiative for people to get about inc ebikes.
 

TedG

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 8, 2017
466
494
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Lisburn Co Antrim Northern Ireland UK
They might pull their finger out a bit now as the message is to avoid public transport so cycling will be an initiative for people to get about inc ebikes.
Indeed but as we know there is a lot of hot air circulating around the Hill and until I see the ebike regulations here to be exactly the same as the rest of the UK and Europe I will always remain suspicious.
From all the Inbox load of replies I have received in the last three years of communications I have to remain guarded.
I will be more than happy to be proved wrong with my suspicions and mistrust.
 

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
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Hi @TedG, I have been doing some digging and came across this image from a TSDZ2 retrofit kit from @Woosh.

Maybe this sticker counts as an "information plate"

I think this stickers can very from manufacturer to manufacturer but still interesting to see.
There isn't any regulation for kits in the mainland UK in respect of a plate. As with the Technical Standard EN15194, the law only refers to the vehicle, meaning a manufactured electric assist bike.

There are two plate versions specified for those in (3) (b) of the document below:

(i) is for pedelecs manufactured since 31st December 2015.

(ii) is for those manufactured on or before 31st December 2015.

The later takes into account the 2015 change in rated power by avoiding its mention as 250 watts.

Note this law only concerns the manufacturer of the vehicle, the plate to be fitted to the vehicle in a prominent position by the maker, making it similar visible to the old VED (road tax) licence disc holder.

There's been lots of debate about kit labelling here on the mainland UK, but in truth there is no law even permitting kits, so we operate on a "blind eye" basis, some treating them as complete e-bikes as if from a manufaturer, others just ignoring labelling. I suppose you will just have to reach a similar vague understanding if your N.I. law is identical to ours:

.
 
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Craiggor 2

Pedelecer
May 30, 2018
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Hi @TedG, I have been doing some digging and came across this image from a TSDZ2 retrofit kit from @Woosh.

Maybe this sticker counts as an "information plate"

I think this stickers can very from manufacturer to manufacturer but still interesting to see.
Rest of UK says bike must be permently marked I supose that goes back to them saying a vin type plate must be attacheded.But now a decal/sticker seems to be acceptable. I wonder if NI will drop the pedelec requirement as boris will soon be making e-scooters legal.
 
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flecc

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Oct 25, 2006
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Rest of UK says bike must be permently marked I supose that goes back to them saying a vin type plate must be attacheded.But now a decal/sticker seems to be acceptable.
Only for manuactured e-bikes, see this link.

I wonder if NI will drop the pedelec requirement as boris will soon be making e-scooters legal.
Since it took 37 years to bring in their pedelec law to match our 1983 one, there's virtually no chance of them scrapping it as it passes it into law!
.
 
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Jim e

Finding my (electric) wheels
Feb 4, 2020
21
16
Can I say many thanks to all our friends out there in Normal Land who gave us support, advice and encouragement throughout this ludicrous nightmare.

Take care always and everywhere to be ultra safe.
Ted.
Hi there guys ,so pleased to hear the news today that legally I can ride my ebike tomorrow, hope yous are all keeping well and safe while we get though this terrible virus ,take care guys and ride safe. Jim
 
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TedG

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 8, 2017
466
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Lisburn Co Antrim Northern Ireland UK
At this momentous point I would like to say that the moral encouragement came from you guys but the political pressure came primarily from a certain Ms Rachel Woods MLA from the Green Party.

She is the person who I often referred to in previous posts as my “trusted MLA”.
We have been in regular contact for some time ever since our invitation to Stormont a while back and she never forgot us.

This might be of interest to some over here in Abnormal Land.:)
 

Gazwald

Finding my (electric) wheels
Feb 28, 2020
16
7
I'm hoping as time passes they can clarify some information.

For example is it legal to put a retrofit kit on to a tadpole trike? (while fitting within the legislation 250watt motor etc.).

The reason I ask this because as a disabled person only able to ride the likes of a trike the cost is expensive. To add electric assist on an ICE trike it can cost between £1349 - £1755 model depending and thats not including the price of the trike or a battery. A single battery can then also cost between £517 - £620 depending on the capacity chosen.

So the overall cost can vary between £1866 - £2375 depending on the configuration.

Again this isn't the cost overall trike just the e-assist components.

whereas if clarification is given there would be the potential to rerofit a e-assist system from the likes @Woosh which would only cost £668-£685 configuration depending but these also include a battery.

So it would be a considerable amount of money saved if given the clarification.

I also don't want to be seen as bashing any company's within this post. They both do great work within this respected space.

I am simply just point out the potential cost savings when it comes to DIY retofit kits.

They were briefly mentioned within todays assembly but sadly not answered.

These are my thoughts just so I don't want to be seen as putting a downer on what Northern Ireland has achieved today, as it is amazing and a wheel in the right direction.
 

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
53,213
30,613
These are my thoughts just so I don't want to be seen as putting a downer on what Northern Ireland has achieved today, as it is amazing and a wheel in the right direction.
Where kits are concerned we are all in the same boat Gazwald, none of the laws make any mention of kits in the UK and Europe. All three laws, technical standards EN15194, the exemption from motor vehicle type approval 168/2013 and the usage on the road law EAPC 1983 as modified 2015, they all only refer to complete manufactured electric assist bikes, trikes and quad bikes.

So both individuals and suppliers operate in a legal vacuum in which all try to supply and use as closely conforming to the complete e-bike law as they can, trusting that is acceptable. That has always worked elsewhere throughout all of Europe and the UK without any mention of a possible prosecution, providing the three main points of the law are adhered to, i.e. 250 watts maximum assist, 15.5 mph maximum assist speed and power only when pedalling.

However, I can tell you the theoretical most legal way of dealing with a kit, although no-one has ever done it:

1) Buy and fit the motor kit.

2) Make an appointment at an approved vehicle testing station, paying the £55 test fee.

3) Normally the purpose of this is to get an SVA (Single Vehicle Approval), entitling it for use as as type approved motor vehicle. However your aim will be to get the inspector to agree that it meets the pedelec requirements so is exempt from being a motor vehicle and is approved as a pedelec instead of SVA.

But as said, it's never been done and in any case there is no approved testing station in N.I., so you'd need to bring the machine to the mainland UK. But here there is only one testing station who would know what you were talking about, the one at Southampton!

That's because an arrangement has been made there for pedelecs with an added otherwise illegal throttle to be tested for L1e-A approval to make the throttle legal in the UK only under a DfT approval.

But to my knowledge they've only ever done this once.

In summary, legislators don't like kits, too many variables, so avoid their mention like the plague. Mainland Europe killed the kit car industry long ago and our laws have damaged it here too, so we are perhaps lucky that the lawyers don't pay attention to our little pedelec kit niche.
.
 
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TedG

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 8, 2017
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Lisburn Co Antrim Northern Ireland UK
My wife when shopping has seen an electric trike in Lisburn some time ago but she didn't have the interest in examining it. She would have not been able to ascertain if it was a kit or a "production" unit.
As I am now back out again I will keep a look out for it and as I will be on my ebike I will approach him as we would have something in common and find out any details and post the response.
 

Gazwald

Finding my (electric) wheels
Feb 28, 2020
16
7
@flecc Thank you for such a detailed response once again.

I am still in the planning stages of getting a trike so I will most likely just aim to get one with the E assist already installed. To avoid any potential trouble.

Although expensive, I would hate to go down the retrofit route and potentially not be complying with the legislation in some form (rerofit kits not being allowed). Then possibly losing my trike or be fined because of this.


@TedG That would be fantastic, Thank you!