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I think the speed limits would be better enforced in a similar way as car speed limits are - instead of a limit on the controller, trust the rider to obey the l

I think the speed limits would be better enforced in a similar way as car speed limits are - instead of a limit on the controller, trust the rider to obey the law and bust people who don't. A 25km/h speed limit is probably very reasonable in a dutch city. If I'm riding my bike on a deserted highway in Iceland with 150km between towns, allowing riders to go to 35-40km/h would make ebikes much more practical. My main problem with the regulations is how they're all based around what a bicycle can do, which restricts development of new, innovative use cases for ebikes. The 250W limit was decided because that's what an average healthy adult can maintain for a decent amount of time. But why should an ebike be limited by that? I can get a cargo ebike that can carry 200kg of cargo, but that 250W motor isn't going to get it up the hill. A speed limit on that kind of vehicle makes perfect sense, but a 250W power limit seems much too restrictive.

cstejerean 10y ago
Because once you get to higher speeds you probably need a moped with proper brakes and a helmet, insurance, a drivers license, etc. Same for hauling 200kg of cargo, that will also require stronger brakes, etc.
Johnny555 10y ago
Why would you ride a 40km/hr eBike on a deserted highway with 150km between towns when you could ride a 100km/hr+ electric motorcycle? If you have to travel long distances, an eBike is probably not the right vehicle unless you're just out for the ride to enjoy the scenery, and if that's the case, is 25km/hr really a problem?
- throwaway7767 10y ago
  > Why would you ride a 40km/hr eBike on a deserted highway with 150km between towns when you could ride a 100km/hr+ electric motorcycle? Because I want to? Riding an ebike is a very different experience to riding a motorcycle (I have my motorcycle license and have owned a motorcycle in the past). You see more of the land, but sometimes you want to go a bit faster than 25km/h without going 100km/h. This is sort of like demanding someone justify their use of a car since we have public transit. Besides, the law shouldn't be based on "why would you?", it should be based on solid safety arguments. I can see the validity of those within cities, but not so much in more rural areas.
  - Johnny555 10y ago
    The law isn't there based on "why would you?" it's there based on "Is it safe to..." You have a very specific use case, if you can buy a bike that goes 40km/hr on a deserted road, you'll also be able to use that same 40km/hr bike on crowded urban bike paths. If you want a vehicle that goes faster than a bike, there are plenty of options. The faster vehicles abide by more stringent safety standards and have restrictions on where they can ride (i.e. you can't ride a motorcycle on a bike path, but depending on where you are, you might be able to ride a speed restricted moped there).
    - throwaway7767 10y ago
      > You have a very specific use case, if you can buy a bike that goes 40km/hr on a deserted road, you'll also be able to use that same 40km/hr bike on crowded urban bike paths. Right, just like people who buy Teslas that can go 200+km/h can take those cars to the residential street with 15km/h limit and children playing in the street. We make laws that apply to the operator of the vehicle, instead of deciding a maximum safe speed for cars of 15km/h and applying a limiter to every car's engine. That's my whole point - the law should apply to how the engine is used, same as most every other class of vehicle out there.
  - Freak_NL 10y ago
    In a lot of countries any motorised vehicle moving in excess of a certain speed is subject to certain safety requirements (such as a helmet or an enclosure, insurance, and a driver's licence). If you take a bicycle, add a powerful engine, and ride it at 40km/h, then legally speaking you don't have an e-bike; you have a moped or whatever the relevant category is called in the local jurisdiction. To prevent everyone buying e-bikes from having to deal with safety requirements that are not deemed relevant below 25km/h, the lawmaker's have decided to limit this class of vehicle to those speeds.

cstejerean 10y ago

Because once you get to higher speeds you probably need a moped with proper brakes and a helmet, insurance, a drivers license, etc. Same for hauling 200kg of cargo, that will also require stronger brakes, etc.

Johnny555 10y ago

Why would you ride a 40km/hr eBike on a deserted highway with 150km between towns when you could ride a 100km/hr+ electric motorcycle? If you have to travel long distances, an eBike is probably not the right vehicle unless you're just out for the ride to enjoy the scenery, and if that's the case, is 25km/hr really a problem?

throwaway7767 10y ago
> Why would you ride a 40km/hr eBike on a deserted highway with 150km between towns when you could ride a 100km/hr+ electric motorcycle? Because I want to? Riding an ebike is a very different experience to riding a motorcycle (I have my motorcycle license and have owned a motorcycle in the past). You see more of the land, but sometimes you want to go a bit faster than 25km/h without going 100km/h. This is sort of like demanding someone justify their use of a car since we have public transit. Besides, the law shouldn't be based on "why would you?", it should be based on solid safety arguments. I can see the validity of those within cities, but not so much in more rural areas.
- Johnny555 10y ago
  The law isn't there based on "why would you?" it's there based on "Is it safe to..." You have a very specific use case, if you can buy a bike that goes 40km/hr on a deserted road, you'll also be able to use that same 40km/hr bike on crowded urban bike paths. If you want a vehicle that goes faster than a bike, there are plenty of options. The faster vehicles abide by more stringent safety standards and have restrictions on where they can ride (i.e. you can't ride a motorcycle on a bike path, but depending on where you are, you might be able to ride a speed restricted moped there).
  - throwaway7767 10y ago
    > You have a very specific use case, if you can buy a bike that goes 40km/hr on a deserted road, you'll also be able to use that same 40km/hr bike on crowded urban bike paths. Right, just like people who buy Teslas that can go 200+km/h can take those cars to the residential street with 15km/h limit and children playing in the street. We make laws that apply to the operator of the vehicle, instead of deciding a maximum safe speed for cars of 15km/h and applying a limiter to every car's engine. That's my whole point - the law should apply to how the engine is used, same as most every other class of vehicle out there.
- Freak_NL 10y ago
  In a lot of countries any motorised vehicle moving in excess of a certain speed is subject to certain safety requirements (such as a helmet or an enclosure, insurance, and a driver's licence). If you take a bicycle, add a powerful engine, and ride it at 40km/h, then legally speaking you don't have an e-bike; you have a moped or whatever the relevant category is called in the local jurisdiction. To prevent everyone buying e-bikes from having to deal with safety requirements that are not deemed relevant below 25km/h, the lawmaker's have decided to limit this class of vehicle to those speeds.