Riding e bike in Netherlands

[naujasacc1]

Hi everybody,

Since (last week) I'm in Netherlands and I'm confused with riding E-bike which I have (mine e bike frame is wider (16cm) and equipped with moto rims). As I understand here is a big problem riding e bike like stealth bomber, vector or similar vehicle .
Does anyone who's living here have any of e-bike projects (w/o) registered as a scooter? Did police in this country taking care of stopping that kind of bikes?

Hoping to get helpful answers.

P. S. a haven't found any information about it except km/h limits.

Ed

 

[Xtr6]

If you are riding more then 250 Watt you have a problem. The law in this country forbids more then 250 Watt and max. speed 25 km/h. You could try to get your bike licensed but this is almost unpossible. Belief me I tryed. Most people bought a speedbike because of this reason.

 

[Ford Prefect]

The beauty about the European Laws concerning EBikes is a very special detail:
as long as your motor has continuing power of 250W (typically 36V at 15A), it deactivates at 25kph (+10%), and only activates when you pedal your EBike is not an Ebike at all but a bike. Simple as that.

There are possibilities in every European country I have been to to get an Ebike registered which does not comply by this rule. Faster, more power, no pedaling, or all three. But to get a self-built Ebike of that kind registered is virtually impossible. Even if you get it done it will be a nuisance and expensive.

What you are looking at - Stealth Bomber, Vector, etc. - will have to be registered as a motorcycle. If you ride it without a license plate the police will most definitely pull you over.

 

[flat tire]

Riding a fast ebike illegally is pretty easy but may require compromises. Here are the essentials:

--Bike needs pedals, you need bicycle helmet and to look like a cyclist
--Slow down to legal speed and spin pedals if you see police
--Don't use a stealth bomber or other bicycle that looks like a motorcycle. Using a regular bicycle frame will help with this, even if you have to stack electronics on top.

 

[neptronix]

Yup.. build something normal looking is a good way to not get pulled over if you choose to bend the law.



Built this for a friend in the USA a while back. It was designed to be pedaled, so the max speed matches the front chainring ( after this pic, a 52T chainring was installed ). Used a sine wave controller for silence. The bike does 35mph / 56kmh and you'd have to be close to it to find out that it has a motor.