Illegally Modified Electric Pedicab in Westminster, London.

[thomas]

Its cheating

[africanandy187]

The electric bike laws in Uk are a joke, what the hell can you do with 250watts??not even make it up a 2 percent incline. pretty much useless other than assisting you. why can't they just limit speed instead of wattage?

This story just completely proves it's nothing to do with safety or trying to protect people, it's just pure upper class snobbery. If it really was they would just fine them and make them get it sorted out, now they have no way of making any money, at least let them do something like this than sell drugs or have to do something else genuinely illegal.

But i guess thats the way we solve problems in the UK, just make some more stupid legislation

[monster]

did they measure the weight and impound them because they were over 60kg or did they just impound them on-sight?

[Reid Welch]

We have them in colorful, historic (1920s) Cocoanut Grove. They are non-electric and do only short jaunts for the tourist-passengers. They work only at night. They bear no lights and NO reflectors. And they do stunts: the driver/runners (they are not pediccabs are constantly up-ending without warning, stopping, reversing directions, to the merriment of the paying couples having such fun! The operators are all young studs, runners, atheletes, in prime condition of body, but without any sense of danger awareness.

If electrified and, of course, lighted or reflector-fitted, restrict them to ten mph (they are pulled vehicles, not pedaled), and put som g-d blinkies on them.
The authorities do nothing here. No one has died yet so far as I know. It is a very congested tourist area. You can't even see them until you are right on them.

The London crackdown was a PR move, and well-deserved. They are motor vehicles if they go 20 per in tight, crowded city traffic.
It was a fair move, imo.

[morph999]

The electric bike laws in Uk are a joke, what the hell can you do with 250watts??not even make it up a 2 percent incline. pretty much useless other than assisting you. why can't they just limit speed instead of wattage?

This story just completely proves it's nothing to do with safety or trying to protect people, it's just pure upper class snobbery. If it really was they would just fine them and make them get it sorted out, now they have no way of making any money, at least let them do something like this than sell drugs or have to do something else genuinely illegal.

But i guess thats the way we solve problems in the UK, just make some more stupid legislation

what happens if you put a 1000w motor on your bike in UK ? Do they stop the motors at customs or will it get through? You should encourage as many people as possible to equip their bikes with motors and that way you will be how they say, anonymous through obscurity. They can't possibly pull everyone over.

[paultrafalgar]

...
what happens if you put a 1000w motor on your bike in UK ?

What happens is they take away your car driving license. I can't afford to lose that.
Who killed the electric car? Forget it - concentrate on "Who's determined to kill the ebike"

[Miles]

The electric bike laws in Uk are a joke, what the hell can you do with 250watts??not even make it up a 2 percent incline. pretty much useless other than assisting you. why can't they just limit speed instead of wattage?

Actually, 250 Watts will get you (100kg total wt.) up a 2% incline at the max. assist speed allowed....(25 kph)

[paultrafalgar]

I weigh 95kg and the bike weighs 20kg + luggage. What happens when I want to go up a 20% incline. The answer on my Kalkhoff Pro Connect is 5mph! Now, I'm very pleased to have this bike as I'm retired and in no rush, but if I was commuting to work I would want to go 10mph up that hill and 250 watts ain't enough.
Again, I want to put electric assist on my trike (Trice T), but 250 watts is not enough to push me up that hill (and there are a lot of 1in7 hills around here) at 10mph.
250 watts may force me to take exercise, but it won't get Joe Public out of his SUV onto an ebike to commute to work, which is important.

[Miles]

Just pointing out that 250 Watts isn't completely useless. 250 Watts limit is for the continuous rating of the motor - maybe one could get 500 Watts for a short period. Yes, 500 Watts will get you up a 20% incline at 5mph, with some pedal input, Paul.

There's very little chance of getting this legislation changed. It would be a better tactic to press for a more logical low-powered moped class, or a high-powered EAPC class with tighter controls.

[csm]

The lunatics are in charge of the asylum (or is it the Cabby Mafia?):
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=LMc-BGBCSDw
20 mph! shocking!
Electric power! shocking!

Have another link/source for the video? I would like to watch it.

[Ypedal]

this post is from 2009...... wtf ?..