This is not good, for the advancement and availability of good affordable kit.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601080&sid=a1g_bLUPbGHk
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601080&sid=a1g_bLUPbGHk
China’s Standardization of E-bikes
- Thread starter myzter
- Start date
UPDATE 2-China's e-bikes free to buzz after reprieve
* China suspends move to limit e-bikes
* Industry body plans to submit new standards proposal
http://in.reuters.com/article/oilRpt/idINTOE5BF07B20091216?pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0
* China suspends move to limit e-bikes
* Industry body plans to submit new standards proposal
http://in.reuters.com/article/oilRpt/idINTOE5BF07B20091216?pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0
Little-Acorn
100 W
- Joined
- Oct 15, 2009
- Messages
- 130
"Suspends". Not "cancels".myzter said:
That just means they'll restrict them later, not now.
If their politics are anything like ours, that is. And they are getting more similar every day.
Lyen
10 kW
An unlicensed ebike taxi driver got pulled over in Beijing with my wife & I on the electric trike two years ago. It was an interesting experience. 
ryan_lirui
10 mW
On the surface e-bike manufacturers are furious about this of course and people generally aren't happy about this. You need to take into consideration though that this is already a standard they established 10 years ago, and they're just re-stating it. Often that's how things go here, they crack down on one law or the other for a short time and then it becomes relaxed again. While it's different than the way we do things in the west and you may not agree, doing so does send a very clear message. You can read what you want into that last part, I'm not going to go into further detail - I am living here after all.
You also need to realize that after the backlash from this proposal, the government also revealed that they will allow local districts to decide whether to enforce this law or not.
There is a huge portion of the population in Shanghai that ride e-bikes in the city center that ride e-bikes and that's no exaggeration. As you've all probably gathered by now, e-bikes are a very common form of transportation in China. Every day on my way to work, the roads are flushed with bicycles and e-bikes and it appears that over half of those bikes are bikes that would be found in violation of this law. Take these factors into consideration:
1. The courier industry depends on these e-bikes that exceed these limits - such as those that deliver food goods, your typical UPS services, etc. etc.
2. Almost all the people who ride these bikes are not affluent people who can afford to buy a car. The average monthly salary for a Shanghainese is 3,292 yuan, or 482 USD.
3. This law would make all those bikes that exceed those limits bump up a category to become "ji dong che", which basically means that they are road vehicles equivalent to motorcycles and then would therefore need motorcycle licence plates.
4. Motorcycle licence plates can be converted into car licence plates after 8 years of ownership and therefore are considered to possess nearly the same amount of value as a car licence plate.
5. Car licence plates have fixed the value of motorcycle plates at the equivalent of 40,000 yuan or 5,850 USD.
6. Shanghai has placed restrictions on the number of motorcycle licence plates available. At the end of last year there wasn't any up for grabs.
This then leaves a *large* chunk of the inner-city population to either:
a) purchase a motorcycle licence plate (if there are any available) at 5,850 USD while earning a monthly wage of 482 USD
b) offload their only means of transportation (and make the whole reason for this law to reduce lead battery trash irrelevant) and take up public transit.
I'll leave it up to you to guess how likely this is going to be.
In the end it is highly likely that Shanghai will not allow people to register e-bike licence plates that exceed these standards (as they always have according to the 10 year old standard), but I'd point out that you probably won't go wrong with registering in the outlying cities (as most locals have always done).
You also need to realize that after the backlash from this proposal, the government also revealed that they will allow local districts to decide whether to enforce this law or not.
There is a huge portion of the population in Shanghai that ride e-bikes in the city center that ride e-bikes and that's no exaggeration. As you've all probably gathered by now, e-bikes are a very common form of transportation in China. Every day on my way to work, the roads are flushed with bicycles and e-bikes and it appears that over half of those bikes are bikes that would be found in violation of this law. Take these factors into consideration:
1. The courier industry depends on these e-bikes that exceed these limits - such as those that deliver food goods, your typical UPS services, etc. etc.
2. Almost all the people who ride these bikes are not affluent people who can afford to buy a car. The average monthly salary for a Shanghainese is 3,292 yuan, or 482 USD.
3. This law would make all those bikes that exceed those limits bump up a category to become "ji dong che", which basically means that they are road vehicles equivalent to motorcycles and then would therefore need motorcycle licence plates.
4. Motorcycle licence plates can be converted into car licence plates after 8 years of ownership and therefore are considered to possess nearly the same amount of value as a car licence plate.
5. Car licence plates have fixed the value of motorcycle plates at the equivalent of 40,000 yuan or 5,850 USD.
6. Shanghai has placed restrictions on the number of motorcycle licence plates available. At the end of last year there wasn't any up for grabs.
This then leaves a *large* chunk of the inner-city population to either:
a) purchase a motorcycle licence plate (if there are any available) at 5,850 USD while earning a monthly wage of 482 USD
b) offload their only means of transportation (and make the whole reason for this law to reduce lead battery trash irrelevant) and take up public transit.
I'll leave it up to you to guess how likely this is going to be.
In the end it is highly likely that Shanghai will not allow people to register e-bike licence plates that exceed these standards (as they always have according to the 10 year old standard), but I'd point out that you probably won't go wrong with registering in the outlying cities (as most locals have always done).
The Mighty Volt
1 MW
Standardization is anathema to scientific progress. It should be avoided. This smacks of Japans decision to ban the wheel back in the dark ages.
John in CR
100 TW
What's the big deal? With the street congestion in China those restrictions are less silly than the 200W limit in Australia, or the low power limits in Europe. I'm the luckiest member on the forum with no rules here. If it's got functional pedals and no gas motor larger than 49cc, it's a bike and the only restrictions are regular traffic laws, which aren't enforced for bikes. eg At a red light, I proceed if there's no traffic coming, and if a traffic cop is present I just be sure to pedal at the start. I do that as a courtesy to drivers, so I have enough head start and am up to traffic speed that I don't slow traffic at all.
I talked to a traffic cop, and I actually have less restrictions than a bike, because some highway sections don't allow bikes, but because I'm motorized I'm ok to get on the highway.
Eventually the laws will change as electrics gain a foothold, but once they do, I'll just get registered as a moped type vehicle. There's no way I will ever give up the traffic matching speeds my bikes have. I don't know how you guys handle cars flying by constantly. To me that's about as safe as driving 20mph in a car on the freeway, except in a car you at least have your metal cage offering some protection.
John
the fastest ebiker in Central America
I talked to a traffic cop, and I actually have less restrictions than a bike, because some highway sections don't allow bikes, but because I'm motorized I'm ok to get on the highway.
Eventually the laws will change as electrics gain a foothold, but once they do, I'll just get registered as a moped type vehicle. There's no way I will ever give up the traffic matching speeds my bikes have. I don't know how you guys handle cars flying by constantly. To me that's about as safe as driving 20mph in a car on the freeway, except in a car you at least have your metal cage offering some protection.
John
the fastest ebiker in Central America
ryan_lirui
10 mW
I agree low power limits and 200w are pretty silly restrictions. The big deal is not the law itself but the impact on the way of life for a large scope of people.
In spite of street congestion, e-bikes are the main means of transportation for most people if they're not packing themselves into a subway or bus. Think about putting along at max 20 km/h. You're one of many locals who can't afford to a buy a house in the inner city where the prices of your average apartment costs around 2,000,000 yuan or 292,000 USD. Either you're paying outrageous rental payments on an apartment or you're living in the outlying areas of the city thereby forcing you to take an hour or more trek to work every day on your slow-ass e-bike that might not even make the distance since any added battery weight would put your bike over the 40kg limit. All this is avoidable of course if you're able to pay 10x your monthly income for a licence plate on a bike that could do the job.
Shanghai's new home weekly average price soars to highest: http://www.shanghaidaily.com/sp/article/2009/200912/20091208/article_421967.htm
In spite of street congestion, e-bikes are the main means of transportation for most people if they're not packing themselves into a subway or bus. Think about putting along at max 20 km/h. You're one of many locals who can't afford to a buy a house in the inner city where the prices of your average apartment costs around 2,000,000 yuan or 292,000 USD. Either you're paying outrageous rental payments on an apartment or you're living in the outlying areas of the city thereby forcing you to take an hour or more trek to work every day on your slow-ass e-bike that might not even make the distance since any added battery weight would put your bike over the 40kg limit. All this is avoidable of course if you're able to pay 10x your monthly income for a licence plate on a bike that could do the job.
Shanghai's new home weekly average price soars to highest: http://www.shanghaidaily.com/sp/article/2009/200912/20091208/article_421967.htm
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