China to UK bike delivery

[bikerpete]

Is there anyone who can shed some light on the practicalities of getting an e-bike sent from China to the UK?

I'm looking at a small electric motorcycle (1.5Kw continuous, 48v 20Ah lithium battery) that I'd like to get into the UK.
To be clear, this does not have pedals and it is clearly solely for off-road use.

Looking through the minefield that is CE it appears that it's impossible to bring in anything electric without it being certified.

Then there's battery transport rules - 2020 Chinese law says batteries without UN38.3 certification can't be shipped. The Chinese company says they can send it via rail (!) to avoid the UN38.3 requirement. Works for me as long as it actually gets into the country.

I'm worried that if they send it I'll find it stopped at customs, never to be released.
I wondered about getting it sent in separate parts - Battery; rolling chassis; charger; motor & controller - in order to divide the risk, and keep each issue (Lithium, mechanics, mains power, LV electronics) isolated.

Any advice or experience gratefully received.

 

[markz]

small electric motorcycle (1.5Kw continuous

With no pedals, I see it coming, hold on.

Chinese law

That right there is a joke in itself, "Chinese Laws"
Coming from a country that counterfeits anything and everything and is turned a blind eye too.

it is clearly solely for off-road use.

Yeaaaaaah thats right "off-road use" only
Gotcha :wink: :thumb:
No no dont worry, we wont rat you out here at Endless Sphere to the UK fuzz, but @ MTBR forums though, your post would be deleted by the mods, 1500W and all, I know I know they are wonky over there. @ ES your "safe"

I'm worried that if they send it I'll find it stopped at customs, never to be released.
I wondered about getting it sent in separate parts - Battery; rolling chassis; charger; motor & controller - in order to divide the risk, and keep each issue (Lithium, mechanics, mains power, LV electronics) isolated.

Ah I see you are really worried, I figured so, I didnt really read that part, was caught up in Chinese Laws and had to giggle and post quick on that. Be the first to respond n all ye know. Well its as you stated, "off-road" use only right wink wink nudge nudge. Scared of that silly 250W law huh. Well you can have 25,000 watts or 250,000 watts dont matter on private land. TBH I wouldnt trust their battery that came with your "off-road use only" moped. Who knows if its a quality battery, built with quality materials, and put together by a reputable person/company.


I gotta read more of your post

Any advice or experience gratefully received.

No, but thanks for the laugh, being UK I figured it was a scared 250W person. Because otherwise you'd just rely on whatever delivery system the Chinese company had in place, and not worry about customs for an "off-road use only" machine. So when the federal secrect police come a knocking from Scotland Yard Mi6, and you are in the interrogation room, what you going to say?

Nothing will come of it, dont worry.
Anyone else that comes across this and wants to know how to ship a bicycle from one place to another, which is what I thought this post was about. https://endless-sphere.com/forums/search.php?keywords=shipping+bicycles

 

[goatman]

is the bike an east-gem Denzel?

 

[bikerpete]

is the bike an east-gem Denzel?

No, it's not, but it's a similar idea I guess.

it is clearly solely for off-road use.

Yeaaaaaah thats right "off-road use" only
Gotcha :wink: :thumb:
No no dont worry, we wont rat you out here at Endless Sphere to the UK fuzz, but @ MTBR forums though, your post would be deleted by the mods, 1500W and all, I know I know they are wonky over there. @ ES your "safe"

No, but thanks for the laugh, being UK I figured it was a scared 250W person. Because otherwise you'd just rely on whatever delivery system the Chinese company had in place, and not worry about customs for an "off-road use only" machine. So when the federal secrect police come a knocking from Scotland Yard Mi6, and you are in the interrogation room, what you going to say?

I fail to see how your response is even vaguely helpful, but thanks anyway.

The bike is quite definitely intended for off-road only, there's no question about that!
Sure, there are some people who might decide to ride it on road unregistered & uninsured, but that's true of KTM, Yamaha and so on, and no-one laughs about their importation.

This is a serious question asked in good faith.

I'm looking into how to bring a bike into the UK to assess it. It appears there is no alternative but to get it all CE certified first, which is not really an option for a one-off sample! Seems bizarre.

How do non-CE motors and controllers come into the UK at all? According to what I see of the regulations they legally can't, yet it appears they regularly do. Is it simply that it's too hard to police the millions of small packages that come in daily?

Li batteries are obviously another issue - I could manage with getting a bike without any cells initially, just an empty battery case if that would enable the bike to come in to the country.

TIA

 

[flat tire]

Your question is retarded, cuz for individuals they don't care about that stuff. Pay the taxes or customs fees and it should get delivered.

 

[markz]

Pay the taxes or customs fees and it should get delivered.

Yeah what that ^^^guy (flat tire) said.

Which is what I said.

Because otherwise you'd just rely on whatever delivery system the Chinese company had in place, and not worry about customs for an "off-road use only" machine.

Also what I said

Nothing will come of it, dont worry.

I should clarify that I didnt mean not worry about import fees (VAT), pay them and pay everything else necessary. What I mean by not worry about customs, is whatever "inspection" or "China Export (CE)" your worried about and being investigated by Mi6 Scotland Yard, don't worry about it.

 

[bikerpete]

Pay the taxes or customs fees and it should get delivered.

Are you speaking from experience bringing such things into the UK, that customs don't care/check for CE compliance on one-off electrical goods imports?
I trust you're not inferring what happens at the UK border based on some irrelevant knowledge based on Canada for instance, as it would appear Markz might be?

Your question is retarded, cuz for individuals they don't care about that stuff.

I suggest you're wrong.
I'm an individual. I care.
Q.E.D.

Perhaps it's an unusual concept, but I'd like to have some confidence that after spending a couple of thousand pounds that I might actually receive the goods I ordered.

 

[amberwolf]

Not knowing myself what's involved over in the UK in doing this, my recommendation would be to talk to an customs/import broker that does this sort of thing. Can't remember exactly what they're called, if it isn't that specific phrase, but you might be able to find a reliable one by asking either a customs office or a major shipper (UPS, etc).

 

[bikerpete]

Not knowing myself what's involved over in the UK in doing this, my recommendation would be to talk to an customs/import broker that does this sort of thing. Can't remember exactly what they're called, if it isn't that specific phrase, but you might be able to find a reliable one by asking either a customs office or a major shipper (UPS, etc).

Cheers. Worth a try for sure.

 

[markz]

I lived in Bristol England off and on a couple times to help out extended family for stretches of a year, also lived in other places around the world.

I've imported into England from China many components for ebikes, including 3&5kw mxus hub motors, including 52 and 72V battery packs, not that the inspectors would realize speed vs voltages when it comes to batteries or controllers. All in I built and ordered everything for 5 or 6 diy ebikes (Batteries, motors, controllers, throttles) all well above 250W, and ordered for others motors, batteries etc. I've never had a problem bringing anything into the country. Never heard a peep that any of them got 250+W warned or written up.
I just paid everything that was due, lots of shipments came together in separate boxes but arrived same day, under my name, my address, batteries and motors. None were inspected from what I could tell. There was no intent to deceive authority on my part. Shippers vague "bicycle parts" was common. Yes, even the law states 250W blah blah blah, I still put those multi kilowatt ebikes together for family and friends and friends of friends. Once I made the first ebike, everyone else wanted one too. For family and friends, why not! Its a good hobby.

 

[bikerpete]

I lived in Bristol England off and on a couple times to help out extended family for stretches of a year, also lived in other places around the world.

I've imported into England from China many components for ebikes, including 3&5kw mxus hub motors, including 52 and 72V battery packs, not that the inspectors would realize speed vs voltages when it comes to batteries or controllers.

Excellent, thank you very much for that info.
That makes me considerably more confident than what the freight broker told me did!

 

[HughF]

You are free to buy and import whatever you want - doesn't need to be CE'd to get it through the customs door at LHR.

What you are not free to do is import stuff by the container load and resell it without CE...

 

[bikerpete]

You are free to buy and import whatever you want - doesn't need to be CE'd to get it through the customs door at LHR.

What you are not free to do is import stuff by the container load and resell it without CE...

Is that based on knowledge of the rules and their application, or on observation of practice in reality?

It seems there's a disconnect between the rules and the reality.
I've been advised by freight agents that without CE certification it can be seized at the border. This seems to correlate with the legislation as best I can interpret it.
Yet individuals regularly import stuff with no problem. Is it simply statistics (too much coming in to check more than a tiny percentage of the "little stuff") or is it that they actively don't mind individual imports?

 

[HughF]

You are free to buy and import whatever you want - doesn't need to be CE'd to get it through the customs door at LHR.

What you are not free to do is import stuff by the container load and resell it without CE...

Is that based on knowledge of the rules and their application, or on observation of practice in reality?

It seems there's a disconnect between the rules and the reality.
I've been advised by freight agents that without CE certification it can be seized at the border. This seems to correlate with the legislation as best I can interpret it.
Yet individuals regularly import stuff with no problem. Is it simply statistics (too much coming in to check more than a tiny percentage of the "little stuff") or is it that they actively don't mind individual imports?

A bit of both...

Just ask the seller to slap a CE sticker on it...