EU Parliament Agrees EBike Safety Depends on Speed not Power

[adrian_sm]

Source: http://www.bike-eu.com/news/european-parliament-agrees-that-e-bike-safety-depends-on-speed-not-power-5478.html

BRUSSELS Belgium – It’s not finalized yet, but there may be a breakthrough in the European discussion on the technical rules for electric bicycles. It could mean among other things that pedelecs with assistance up to 25 km/h will be excluded from the type-approval for mopeds and motorcycles irrespective of their power output. As a result, they would be classified as bicycles, whereas today above 250 W they are considered mopeds.


Yesterday, the European Parliament Commission for Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) voted on the review of the type-approval of mopeds and motorcycles. The MPE’s voted on Rapporteur van de Camp’s report on the Commission’s proposal as well as on all the amendments to his report. Quite a few of these amendments originated from the position paper of the European Two-Wheelers Retailers’ Association (ETRA).

They were generally aimed at improving the regulations for the benefit of electric bikes so that they would no longer obstruct the development of the market. One of the amendments in particular was aimed at the exclusion from the type-approval of all electric pedal assisted cycles with assistance up to 25 km/h without specification of a motor output limit, because speed and not power is the determining safety factor.


A majority of IMCO members voted in favour of this exclusion. As a result, pedelecs with a motor output of more than 250 W would no longer have to be type-approved and would no longer be classified as mopeds but as bicycles. They would become subject to the Machinery and EMC Directive. This should result in a bigger offer and a wider usage for instance for people suffering from obesity, three-wheelers developed for physically impaired people, vehicles developed to transport cargo of for hilly areas etcetera.


The revision of the type approval for mopeds and motorcycles including electric bicycles caused controversy between industry associations COLIBI/COLIPED and the one for cyclists ECF on the one hand and trade association ETRA on the other hand. COLIBI/COLIPED and ECF wanted to make sure that the market remains limited to bicycles with pedal assistance up to 25 km/h and a motor output limit of 250W. Both industry organizations were in favour of maintaining the current specifications as described in the Directive 2002/24/EC.


“Terrific news,” said Annick Roetynck, ETRA general secretary on the breakthrough in ‘BOVAGkrant’, a publication of the Dutch dealer association BOVAG which is a prominent ETRA member. She continued: “We had to lobby hard for this result the past months. I am glad that the politicians understood that more powerful motors of which the assistance is limited to a speed of 25 km/h, do not jeopardize safety but instead greatly enhance the possible usage of electric bikes.”


As said 25 km/h pedelecs with more motor output are not a reality yet. In a plenary session scheduled to take place in March 2012 the whole European Parliament will vote on it. Furthermore, the European Council, which is made up of the 27 member states also have to have a say on it.

 

[Hugues]

That's good news, makes sense.
Hopefully Switzerland will then align also .

 

[Philistine]

Good development, but I still just don't understand why all lawmakers treat ebikes differently to cars. It isn't how fast the thing potentially goes, it is how fast the rider is riding that is relevant. They should simply apply a speed limit like they do with cars and be done with it. Why is it legal for Lance Armstrong to ride his road bike at 60kph down the big hill that I go down at the same speed, but because I am a lazy fat slob and rely on battery power, it should be illegal? Why should it matter whether the speed was reached by muscle or battery? THe relevant point is that we are both limited by the speed limit, and that should be all that matters.

It is just like drug policy/war on drugs. Where is the evidence that fatalaties will increase by lifting power restrictions on ebikes?

 

[sico]

This should result in a bigger offer and a wider usage for instance for people suffering from obesity, three-wheelers developed for physically impaired people, vehicles developed to transport cargo of for hilly areas etcetera.

But the momentum transferred to a pedestrian being hit by an ebike is equal to the mass times the velocity of the ebike plus rider, so I reckon I can safely (to others at least )ride twice as fast as someone who weighs twice as much as me. I vote electric bikes should have a momentum limit rather than power or speed. 8)

Not saying me ploughing into you at 40kph wouldn't hurt a bit though. :wink:

 

[Kingfish]

Where is the evidence that fatalaties will increase by lifting power restrictions on ebikes?

I thought that was implied :wink:

Although I'm completely with you in your sentiments...

~KF

 

[Toorbough ULL-Zeveigh]

i'll stick my neck out a bit by predicting that if this goes thru one outcome of this change in legislation expect to see a whole lot fewer buzz-bomb (BB) drive offerings & a whole lotta more hub-motor bikes appearing on euro roads.

as some aussie guy is fond of skreeching, "for those about to frock, we salute you!"

But the momentum transferred to a pedestrian being hit by an ebike is equal to the mass times the velocity of the ebike plus rider, so I reckon I can safely (to others at least )ride twice as fast as someone who weighs twice as much as me. I vote electric bikes should have a momentum limit rather than power or speed. 8)

Not saying me ploughing into you at 40kph wouldn't hurt a bit though. :wink:

energy is what's significant which varies with velocity squared.

 

[Lock]

i'll stick my neck out a bit by predicting that if this goes thru expect to see a whole lot fewer buzz-bomb (BB) drive offerings & a whole lotta more hub-motor bikes appearing on euro roads.

as some aussie guy is fond of skreeching, "for those about to frock, we salute you!"

But the momentum transferred to a pedestrian being hit by an ebike is equal to the mass times the velocity of the ebike plus rider, so I reckon I can safely (to others at least )ride twice as fast as someone who weighs twice as much as me. I vote electric bikes should have a momentum limit rather than power or speed. 8)

Not saying me ploughing into you at 40kph wouldn't hurt a bit though. :wink:

velocity squared.

+1 on that.
I tried working this out yesterday:
Mass 200 Kilograms 30kmh = 6944 Joules
Mass 200 kg at 40kmh = 12346 Joules

78% increase in energy for 33% increase in speed

If ya expend all that energy in one second(eg whacking a pedestrian):
6944 joule/second = 9.3 horsepower
12346 joule/second = 16.5 horsepower

...I think...

L0cK

 

[sico]

Yeah, that's why I said momentum, not energy.

Which quantity is most correlated with injury, I don't know.

 

[LI-ghtcycle]

Definitely a step in the right direction!

Why should E-Bikes be the only class of vehicles that have such ridiculously limiting power reducing requirements?!

How many powered wheelchairs only use 250 Watts? :wink:

I'm glad that some are starting to see the light in that as long as a reasonable speed limit is observed on paths, roads and trails, the amount of power used is largely irrelevant.

 

[mwkeefer]

Leave it to the Brits to actually figure something out which the average person takes as simple "Common Sense"... they don't factor in braking ability, reaction times of riders, etc into their little scenarios either so they are still leaving out some important factors of the equation but at the minimum this is a good step in the right direction in the EU towards removing the (imho) pointless and insane power limits imposed on an assistance bicycle...

There is actually a lot to be said for 1hp and 20mph, it falls back to common history where a man rode a hoarse instead of drove a car - hence the 1 HP limit (theoretically correct, minor adjustment for offset of equipment and rider weight) but lets be serious - I had at one time (my family did) an 18 hand stallion and that freaking hoarse was more like 4 HP when he got going... his name was Randy and he lived up to it P

Most hoarse can only run about 20mph (actually if my training from 20+ years ago is still right, it's 18mph average)... Randy again was a different type of hoarse but if it were the olden days, he would have been my steed - that was at 12 and 13 years old...

In either case - there is an inherent right for private citizens of all countries to be able to commute in a simple, clean and safe manor, with a historical and legal precedent which spans many hundreds of years.

Regards,
Mike

 

[Cargo_Tom]

I've been following this development for about a year, and while this is indeed progress, I don't think it is a given that it will clear all hurdles.

If it gets through cargo bikes will get even more widespread in europe, which is great for the green revolution My own project might end up being fully legal after all. Woo (Looking at pedelec, 2+ kW 25kph heavy cargo loader bike).

slow wound hubbies might get a demand surge after this.
- Tom

 

[nieles]

This is very good news.

i hope they make this official real soon.

to be legal just put your CA on 25km/u limit and run any setup you want

 

[neptronix]

^--- that's just what i was thinking. Or use a 3-speed switch on setting 1 with an ultra-powerful setup. Do 0-25kmH in 2 seconds and never drop speed, lol.

Then when the cops aren't looking .....

 

[izeman]

with ebikes it's so super easy to bypass those 25km/h limit.

a) how would a police officer measure the power output of the bike (on the road) ?
b) how would they measure your maximum speed ? 25km/h is the limit for the motor, but there is no muscle power limit, and you don't have to have a speedometer at your bike to control your speed - that's why you can't be fined for speeding
c) and after all: just put a hidden switch somewhere to unleash the full power where allowed and you're done

btw: using a CA to limit your speed is (at least in austria) a no-go. if you can remove that limit with a touch of a button this is not accepted as restrictor by the law. but laws may and sure ARE different for most of us.

 

[hjns]

with ebikes it's so super easy to bypass those 25km/h limit.

a) how would a police officer measure the power output of the bike (on the road) ?
b) how would they measure your maximum speed ? 25km/h is the limit for the motor, but there is no muscle power limit, and you don't have to have a speedometer at your bike to control your speed - that's why you can't be fined for speeding
c) and after all: just put a hidden switch somewhere to unleash the full power where allowed and you're done

btw: using a CA to limit your speed is (at least in austria) a no-go. if you can remove that limit with a touch of a button this is not accepted as restrictor by the law. but laws may and sure ARE different for most of us.

When I was young, in the Netherlands the police would have a watch post set up just behind the corner of the road. Here they would have at least 2 motorpatrols, a normal police car with a cop and a radargun, and a special van with a rollerbank. Any motorbike speeding or with a driver without helmet they would pull over. The bike would be tested on the rollerbank for any unlawful modifications increasing speed or power. Any speeding would be fined. And they were extremely good at looking for switches / variations in benzin, etc.

I agree with the CA not being a good limiter. Most people can use the programming features of the CA within a couple of minutes. It's one of the strengths of the CA in the first place. In my opinion, it is much better to limit speed and current in a programmable controller. No cop will be able to change that without really indepth knowledge. And even then it is extremely difficult to prove that the owner did not buy it this way. Unfortunately, you can not flash the controller on the fly when getting caught.... hmm, maybe a nice winter project for a software engineer?

And yes, even though you are not obliged to carry a speedometer, you CAN be fined for speeding. If you travel at speeds that are near the speedlimit but without a speedometer, you are taking the risk yourself that you are going above the speedlimit. Having no speedometer does NOT release you from your normal responsibilities....

 

[Hugues]

I don't know if a switch with a key could be ok to limit the speed of the electric assistance to 25 kmh
That would be easy to check
Don't know

That would be easy to implement on the CA , just need a new pad to be grounded when the switch closes the loop

 

[hjns]

I don't know if a switch with a key could be ok to limit the speed of the electric assistance to 25 kmh
That would be easy to check
Don't know

Hmm, I like it. Just hide the key somewhere if the cops catch you.... and play dumb when they ask what the switch is for :wink:

 

[Lebowski]

I would use something much more sneaky In many cars or consumer electronics
you can get into a special mode by keeping a button pressed while turning the device
on. How about pressing the headlamp on-button while turning on the controller puts
you in unrestricted mode. When you're stopped by the cops you turn off the controller.
When the cops want to measure power output you turn the controller back on but without
pressing the headlamp button, putting the controller in restricted mode..

 

[hjns]

whooo nice!!!!

 

[Hugues]

Could be a hidden switch too

But I had in mind a visible key switch that indicates the speed mode the bike is in
If the key is not inserted when they control you and it's on 25 kmh mode, that could be sufficient
But legally I'm not sure

For the current status of laws in Switzerland , the key would need to limit the speed, amps ( to limit power to 250) and activate the pedelec mode while deactivating throttle. That last part would need some extra hardware I guess, to detect pedal movement

 

[hjns]

Could be a hidden switch too

But I had in mind a visible key switch that indicates the speed mode the bike is in
If the key is not inserted when they control you and it's on 25 kmh mode, that could be sufficient
But legally I'm not sure

For the current status of laws in Switzerland , the key would need to limit the speed, amps ( to limit power to 250) and activate the pedelec mode while deactivating throttle. That last part would need some extra hardware I guess, to detect pedal movement

For the current laws in Switzerland it will not work. The rules specifically state that it is all about what the bike intrinsic power / speed is. Therefore, no key or switch should be visible that may raise suspicion that the bike can be more powerful / faster...

 

[izeman]

I would use something much more sneaky In many cars or consumer electronics
you can get into a special mode by keeping a button pressed while turning the device
on. How about pressing the headlamp on-button while turning on the controller puts
you in unrestricted mode. When you're stopped by the cops you turn off the controller.
When the cops want to measure power output you turn the controller back on but without
pressing the headlamp button, putting the controller in restricted mode..

that was the type of unlock i was talking about. noone can find that.

btw: i just checked new laws for bikes in austria: it became a nightmare no more speeding etc ... even though it is unlikely to be fined for some km/h too much. (i don't talk about speeding in a pedestrian's zone). especially attaching all those reflectors and lamps to your bike makes it look more like a xmas tree than a bike - ridiculous!

 

[izeman]

For the current status of laws in Switzerland , the key would need to limit the speed, amps ( to limit power to 250) and activate the pedelec mode while deactivating throttle. That last part would need some extra hardware I guess, to detect pedal movement

For the current laws in Switzerland it will not work. The rules specifically state that it is all about what the bike intrinsic power / speed is. Therefore, no key or switch should be visible that may raise suspicion that the bike can be more powerful / faster...

NO visible switch. as hjns claims: even the possibility to unlock more power should be enough to make it illegal (as it's too obvious what your dirty mind really wants *ggg*)

 

[Cargo_Tom]

How about pressing the headlamp on-button while turning on the controller puts
you in unrestricted mode. When you're stopped by the cops you turn off the controller.
When the cops want to measure power output you turn the controller back on but without
pressing the headlamp button, putting the controller in restricted mode..

*Drool* I would pay good cash for such functionality. Better yet would figue out how to DIY it.

 

[nieles]

*Drool* I would pay good cash for such functionality. Better yet would figue out how to DIY it.

arduino would be ideal for that 8)