There are plenty of excellent e-bikes on the market in Britain, but illegally modified and non-regulation versions are also proliferating across the country, creating a perilous situation for riders and other road users alike. A new poll conducted this week by YouGov has discovered that 84% of people in the UK can’t tell the difference between a perfectly legal e-bike and one that contravenes the laws that surround such machines in the UK.
To combat this situation, two influential main cycle industry bodies – the Bicycle Association (BA) and the Association of Cycle Traders (ACT) – have launched a new safety trustmark, E-Bike Positive, with the goal of helping the public purchase e-bikes that are legal and safe.
Britain has relatively strict regulations in place when it comes to e-bikes, meaning battery powered steeds are very safe when bought from reputable outlets. But many models that do not comply with these tech-specs appear to side-step customs and thousands more are modified by unscrupulous backyard mechanics, and even some high street outlets.
The new E-Bike Positive trust mark
(Image credit: Matt Alexander/PA MediaAssignments)
The existence of illegal and dangerous e-bikes on the roads – and in people’s homes and garages – is a disaster for everyone, with fast, heavy bikes vastly increasing the risk of serious injury when they’re involved in collisions (which also drives anti-cyclist hate), and dodgy batteries causing intense fires during the recharging process.
Some people actively seek out bikes that can go faster than legally permitted, but other consumers are caught out by a poorly policed industry, and accidentally purchase bikes that fall foul of the legal guidelines. Would you be able to tell the difference? The vast majority of us can’t.
BA and the ACT have established the E-Bike Positive scheme precisely to help this latter group, bringing together responsible brands and approved retailers with an instantly recognisable safety trust mark.
Launched this week, the initiative involves 33 brands, which are responsible for 80% of reputable e-bikes sold in Britain. Some 600 stores have signed up around the country, including big names like Halfords, Decathlon and Evans Cycles, plus hundreds of independent high street bike shops, all of which will be listed on the website: ebikepositive.co.uk.
(Image credit: Matt Alexander/PA MediaAssignments)
To become an ‘E-Bike Positive approved retailer’, bike shops have to commit to only selling (and servicing and repairing) road-legal e-bikes, and to supplying only compatible, safety-tested batteries and chargers with full safety information. E-Bike Positive retailers must refuse to work on non-road-legal and unsafe e-bikes.
Approved retailers must also be an authorised stockist of at least one E-Bike Positive verified brand and agree to verification, including mystery shopper visits and documentation reviews.
“Reputable brands spend years and considerable sums developing e-bikes which meet longstanding international standards and all the regulations for their legal sale and use on the road,” explains Steve Garidis, Executive Director, Bicycle Association.
“They are a fantastic product with a wide variety of customers and benefits to health and the environment. But all this is undermined by illegal and unsafe products often sold through online marketplaces to unsuspecting consumers. That’s why, as the industry trade bodies representing reputable e-bike brands and retailers, we have developed a safety trust mark as part of the E-Bike Positive scheme, so consumers can easily identify safe and legal e-bikes and where they may be purchased.”
Jonathan Harrison, Director, Association of Cycle Traders, added: “Our members are proud to sell properly tested, road‑legal e‑bikes, but until now they have had no simple way to prove it to customers who are understandably seeking reassurance. E‑Bike Positive changes that.
“When retailers and the brands they stock carry the trust mark, customers can buy with confidence, knowing the products come from independently verified brands and that the retailer is committed to recognised standards and responsible retailing.”
What you need to know when buying an e-bike
There are two main features that mean an e-bike is road legal in the UK. First a motor is pedal assist only. This means the motor matches your effort. If you pedal faster, the motor puts in more power, when you slow down, it slows down. It does not provide drive independently. If it does it’s illegal. If it works on a twist-style throttle it’s illegal. Secondly, a legal e-bike cuts out at approximately 15.5mph, or 25kmh. Once a rider tips over this speed all power cuts out.
Although the legality of it is less clear, the next thing you need to check is the battery. Unregulated, homemade, chipped or even extremely cheap batteries can be dangerous, with more and more house fires being caused by batteries being left on charge over night, overheating and bursting into flames.
Most reputable e-bike systems will use batteries from either Sony, Panasonic or Samsung which are perfectly safe if used correctly. If you’re unsure, ask.
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