Big Changes Ahead for European E-Bike Market

[Tim]

This taken from Bike EU

BRUSSELS, Belgium – The market for e-Bikes is about to change drastically. Beginning next year, it will no longer be possible to enter the booming e-Bike market in Europe by simply importing complete e-Bikes and/or components from China and selling them in Europe.

The new EN 15194 standard for EPACs (Electrically Power Assisted Cycles) is far more complicated than the CEN standards currently in force for conventional bicycles.

Standard will published beginning 2009

That new standard is about to be implemented. The CEN Technical Committee TC333, with representatives from the bike industry and headed by Chairman Siegfried Neuberger from the German industry association Zweirad-Industrie-Verband (ZIV), expects the safety standard to be published beginning next year, along with an annex detailing EMC requirements. These Electro Magnetic Compatibility (EMC) requirements contribute significantly to the complicated and costly new safety standards for electric bicycles.

EMC requirements are already applied throughout Europe to all kinds of electric appliances and vehicles like cars, motorcycles and mopeds. Electro Magnetic Compatibility requirements are designed to, for instance, ensure the safety of people who use a pacemaker or hearing-aid when driving cars or e-Bikes.

EMC requirements already in force

Once vehicles that use electronics have passed EMC testing they will obtain a CE mark. By the way, the EMC requirements are already in force throughout Europe, including all the e-Bikes (pedelecs) that are currently on the market.

Pedelecs that are to comply with the new EN 15194 EPAC safety standard will have to be tested in the same way as cars, motorcycles or mopeds. That means that, as TC333 chairman Siegfried Neuberger points out: “Complete bikes and/or electronic/electrical subassemblies will have to be tested.”


Bike Europe brings in its October edition special product reports on all the new e-Bikes, e-Systems and all other news about electric bicycles & pedelecs. This edition also features an interview with the general manager of European e-Bike market leader Sparta, Huub Snellen.

He says about the soon to be implemented new safety standard: “The EPAC standard is far more complicated than the CEN standard we know for bicycles. Manufacturers can do the CEN testing themselves. That is not possible for EPAC. It is too complicated as it is not about testing separate components. To meet the EPAC/EMC standard you have to test the whole system and you have to do that again and again after each minor adjustment.”

TC333 chairman Siegfried Neuberger further stipulated: “Currently the new EPAC standard EN 15194 is in the process of final voting. All CEN members (30 countries) must agree on this standard. If there is a positive vote, the standard will be published as EN standard. Than all CEN-member countries have to publish this standard as a national/EN standard. In Germany as DIN EN 15194.”

These publications will give the EPAC standard the ‘presumption of conformity’ with the EU Safety Directive 2001/95/EC that: “Lays down an obligation on producers to place only safe products on the market.” This Directive also states that: “A product shall be presumed safe as far as the risks and risk categories covered by national standards are concerned when it conforms to voluntary national standards transposing European standards, the references of which have been published by the Commission in the Official Journal of the European Union in accordance with Article 4 of that Directive.”

Bike Europe - News: Big Changes Ahead for European E-Bike Market

Be interesting to see if this has any effect on the Chinese import end of the electric bike market here.

 

[Mussels]

Not sure of the implications but does it mean that wireless cycle computers will start working?

 

[Tim]

Not sure of the implications but does it mean that wireless cycle computers will start working?

Good point. Best bring it up with CEN Technical Committee TC333 before they sign it all off.

 

[Blew it]

Iv'e got a better idea...lets sign off the EU before it does any more damage to the British way of life.

Sounds like Derby Cycles have been busy lobbying.

 

[Footie]

.... The market for e-Bikes is about to change drastically. Beginning next year, it will no longer be possible to enter the booming e-Bike market in Europe by simply importing complete e-Bikes and/or components from China and selling them in Europe ....

Seems to me someone is trying to force the small business out of the market leaving us only with the big players – healthy competition keeps business lean and mean - not good news in my book.

.... Electro Magnetic Compatibility requirements are designed to, for instance, ensure the safety of people who use a pacemaker or hearing aid when driving cars or e-Bikes ....

What a load of crock. I'm a hearing-aid wearer and I don't have any problems with interference from electric bikes - I have a bigger issue with bloody mopeds interfering with my digital TV.
.

 

[Tim]

Iv'e got a better idea...lets sign off the EU before it does any more damage to the British way of life.

Sounds like Derby Cycles have been busy lobbying.

Don't know about that - it's a Sparta guy they interview who seems to know a lot about it.

But I do know that Derby were carrying out a lot of EMC testing over Summer.

 

[Tiberius]

I'd need to know more about the particular legislation of course, but on the face of it, it looks like the standard scare story by a vested interest. "I'm a consultant - give me money."

The EMC Directive has been around since 1992 (I think it was 1992) and sets limits on how much interference electrical devices can generate and also how resistant devices should be be to interference. Yes, it will prevent electric bikes from interfering with toothbrushes and re-programming your heating controls, but it is generally a sensible piece of legislation. The standard of electrical design before it came out was, frankly, appalling.

The usual reaction to any new EU Directive is that test houses and armies of consultants jump up and down and say that manufacturers have to have everything tested and evaluated by outside bodies, at vast expense. Generally the legislation doesn't actually require this.

I'm most familiar with the R&TTE Directive, the Low Voltage Directive and the EMC Directive. As I said, I don't know the details of this particular new rule, but I could find out if anyone was interested enough. After all, I am a consultant.

Nick

 

[Cyclezee]

Will these regulations be retrospective and could this mean my Torq will be soon be illegal along with all along with all the other Ezee and Wisper bikes etc? If that is the case yipee, I always wanted to be rebel Anyone know where I can get a skull and cross bones pirate flag to mount on the rear carrier
Suppose I would need to get an EU flags for the Kalkhoffs for the days when I can't be bothered to be rebelious

J hn

 

[musicbooks]

Will these regulations be retrospective and could this mean my Torq will be soon be illegal along with all along with all the other Ezee and Wisper bikes etc? If that is the case yipee, I always wanted to be rebel Anyone know where I can get a skull and cross bones pirate flag to mount on the rear carrier
Suppose I would need to get an EU flags for the Kalkhoffs for the days when I can't be bothered to be rebelious

J hn

I'm sure I spotted a Jolly Rodger sticking out the back of Flecc's trailer. ( somewhere in between all that bubble wrap.) He might lend you his for an afternoon of EU commissioner baiting
bw
Musicbooks

 

[frank9755]

Will these regulations be retrospective and could this mean my Torq will be soon be illegal along with all along with all the other Ezee and Wisper bikes etc? If that is the case yipee, I always wanted to be rebel Anyone know where I can get a skull and cross bones pirate flag to mount on the rear carrier
Suppose I would need to get an EU flags for the Kalkhoffs for the days when I can't be bothered to be rebelious

J hn

I think you will be ok John because you will always be one jump ahead! By the time they catch up with you, you will have sold the offending illegal, dangerous and unethically imported and retailed bike on and have moved on to the next one!

 

[flecc]

I'm sure I spotted a Jolly Rodger sticking out the back of Flecc's trailer. ( somewhere in between all that bubble wrap.) He might lend you his for an afternoon of EU commissioner baiting
bw
Musicbooks

Here you are John, and there's a poem to go with it below:

Ricky Redbeard
.

 

[musicbooks]

Here you are John, and there's a poem to go with it below:

Ricky Redbeard
.

hey John,
So that's where Flecc was for all those months away

Nice flag Flecc.. don't know how long that silk would last on the seven seas though

BW
musicbooks

 

[Wisper Bikes]

New regs

We at Wisper fully support any legislation that will make electric bikes safe. It gives us all a great bench mark to work to.

There is a lot of nonsense in the proposal but there is also a lot of common sense. Such as adopting something we already do ourselves. It is proposed that we all standardise on the connections so a 24v battery can never be plugged into a 36v charger regardless of manufacturer.

I think people will be surprised at the way we, Ezee and other smaller professional manufacturers will welcome any ruling that differentiates between the £350 Tesco bike and ours.

I also think people would be surprised at what a massive percentage of components in German, Spanish or any "European made" bike or electric bike that are Chinese made. The computer, TV, automotive and mobile telephone manufactures are happy with Chinese electronics, why not the electric bike industry?

All the best David

 

[Hooligooner]

I think people will be surprised at the way we, Ezee and other smaller professional manufacturers will welcome any ruling that differentiates between the £350 Tesco bike and ours.

I think you have found that already, in fact I think you mention it in the text.

 

[Phil the drill]

Am I alone in worrying about phrases like "bikes will have to be submitted for testing...etc"? If I recall correctly all such phrases have cost implications - usually a highly significant one and often one that can be cripppling for small manufacturers.
Sounds to me like the EU may have found a way to finally kill off the ebike market for good, by simply overpricing it to the point at which it becomes totally non-viable. For most non-cyclists it is a total no-brainer for any sane person to consider getting on a bike in the cold, wet and wind, when you could pay the same for a cheap (warm and dry) car. Why give them even more reason to avoid them? All standards legislation ever does is standardise at the lowest common denominator and stifle any attempt at innovation . I reckon this sort of legislation would have probably been enough to ensure we got no Cytronex for example and who knows what in the future?
I reckon small manufacturers who welcome this now could well come to rue that decision in the future.

Phil

 

[the_killjoy]

Talking of electrical interferance, when I put my Blackburn Quadrant light on my indicated speed doubles !!!

 

[Danny-K]

Am I alone in worrying about phrases like "bikes will have to be submitted for testing...etc"? If I recall correctly all such phrases have cost implications - usually a highly significant one and often one that can be cripppling for small manufacturers...

Good one Phil. So that means every new e-bike will have to be totalled in a head-on smash - with a new type of crash test dummy aboard; easily differentiated from the now famous automotive Volvo type of white crash-test dummy with their bodies festooned with those yellow bulls-eye stickers, by the fact that the e-bike crash-test dummy will be seen wearing a cycle helmet and cycle-clips around their ankles. Even amongst crash-test dummies there will still be social one-upmanship.

 

[Phil the drill]

Good one Phil. So that means every new e-bike will have to be totalled in a head-on smash - with a new type of crash test dummy aboard; easily differentiated from the now famous automotive Volvo type of white crash-test dummy with their bodies festooned with those yellow bulls-eye stickers, by the fact that the e-bike crash-test dummy will be seen wearing a cycle helmet and cycle-clips around their ankles. Even amongst crash-test dummies there will still be social one-upmanship.

LOL Not too sure about that but I honestly don't believe anything would surprise me about legislators anymore!
I s'pose they'd have a standardised helmet and correctly weighted bike clips to (EN No.....) . Of course that would mean next thing would be the compulsory helmet leg...... Oh damnit I mentioned the forbidden 'H' word again !

Phil

 

[WaiWonChing]

Chief eZee Operator

Hi,

We have been told since 7 years back that electric bikes are required to meet those EMC regulations and we have done that since 7 years ago, we have been repeating them and getting the certifications for them , each bike model is required to make the complete series of test despite having exactly the same electronic and electricals. That means we have repeated the same tests with each model as with the Sprint, Torq, Forza, Forte, Quando, Cadence and etc. And we have repeated them, as the standards are amended over the years, and even when we have new editions to the same model. It really cost us quite a fortune doing these.

We have our tests done by a nationally certified test institute that specialised in EMC tests in China, the most sophisticated one in China that is located in Shanghai, I have seen them working on imported equipments like those CT Scanning machines used in Hospitals and etc. There are many fake testing laboratories in China that would just provide a certificate and a stamp on it.

We have no worry at all with the new EN regulation with regard to EPAC, I have been following it since 3 years ago.

All the best

W W Ching

 

[Footie]

It's the end of Kits and DIY ebikes

Tim posted:
He says about the soon to be implemented new safety standard: “The EPAC standard is far more complicated than the CEN standard we know for bicycles. Manufacturers can do the CEN testing themselves. That is not possible for EPAC. It is too complicated as it is not about testing separate components. To meet the EPAC/EMC standard you have to test the whole system and you have to do that again and again after each minor adjustment.”

It will be impossible for a manufacturer to test his kit on every conceivable bike and how can he guarantee the DIY bike is legal. Not that they do but DIY'ers have been known to make modifications – for instance to go faster

Likewise if a controller, etc, fails, and an original part can't be found and an alternative is used, the ebike would be illegal - Not tested as a whole. What if you change the battery for a different type (SLA for NiMH or LiFePO4)? - Not tested as a whole .... illegal?

The only way for these regulations to work will be to ban all imports of kits and ebike spares to none dealers

LOL – Frigging impossible to police

PS: I for one would support the black market imports of kits and bits
.