3 ms·

This is regulated by EU and can't be changed by member countries AFAIK

masklinn 8y ago
What the EU regs say is that e-bikes with an engine under 250W, only pedalling assistance, and whose assistance cuts off above 25km/h must be considered bicycles (with all that implies with respect to legal registration, insurance requirements, available paths, …). That's pretty much it. Nothing precludes having further categories of ebikes or mopeds, or treating more ebikes as bicycles. That is up to member states. What is not is e.g. saying that all ebikes are legally mopeds requiring wearing a motorbike helmet and registration plates.
- TomMarius 8y ago
  > What the EU regs say is that e-bikes with an engine under 250W, only pedalling assistance, and whose assistance cuts off above 25km/h must be considered bicycles (with all that implies with respect to legal registration, insurance requirements, available paths, …). Yes, that's the L1e-A category. > That's pretty much it. Nothing precludes having further categories of ebikes or mopeds, or treating more ebikes as bicycles. That is up to member states. No. Almost every single vehicle you could build has a vehicle category defined by EU regulation[1] and that same regulation requires vehicle inspection, license plates and driving licenses for these vehicles. That means that this vehicle model must be registered - tested, specifications approved by government etc. And of course if there is no category for your vehicle, you can't do it. > What is not is e.g. saying that all ebikes are legally mopeds requiring wearing a motorbike helmet and registration plates. You even said it yourself. That is the whole problem! Building a road legal vehicle in these categories is almost impossible if you're not a large company; importing it is even harder. The compliance required would at least double the price of the vehicle. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_category#EU_classification https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_category#EU_classifica...
  - masklinn 8y ago
    > No. Almost every single vehicle you could build has a vehicle category defined by EU regulation[1] and that same regulation requires vehicle inspection, license plates and driving licenses for these vehicles. That means that this vehicle model must be registered - tested, specifications approved by government etc. This, again, is a cross-EU baseline for compatibility. The very page you link provides the example of the Czech Republic's own classification. > And of course if there is no category, you can't do it. Of course you can, EU classification categories are cross-country compatibility classifications, your own country can do whatever it wants as long as it at least matches those requirements. The EU allows driving an L1e on an AM license meaning any holder of an AM license can drive an L1e throughout the EU. Your country could require no license whatsoever on an L1e. What they can not do is require a higher license: as long as other laws and regulations are followed, any AM license holder should be able to drive an L1e. Likewise your country could have categories for things the EU doesn't have categories for, all it means is that these vehicles are not necessarily legal outside your country. > You even said it yourself. That is the whole problem! Of course not, that's completely nonsensical. > Building a road legal vehicle in these categories is almost impossible if you're not a large company; importing it is even harder. The compliance required would at least double the price of the vehicle. Oh for fuck's sake that has to do with your country's regulations not the EU, the EU does not forbid these vehicles, it only mandates baselines for member states. If you're unhappy with how the MOT handles s-pedelecs, take it up to your MP and the MOT.
    - TomMarius 8y ago
      So you're saying that if my country allows anyone to freely build any vehicle without any tests/inspections and gives it a license plate, I could ride it around the whole EU legally if it conforms to the EU category, and that my country is allowed to do that?
      - nl 8y ago
        Yeah. See for example the British kit car laws, which allow them to be driven throughout the EU.

What the EU regs say is that e-bikes with an engine under 250W, only pedalling assistance, and whose assistance cuts off above 25km/h must be considered bicycles (with all that implies with respect to legal registration, insurance requirements, available paths, …). That's pretty much it. Nothing precludes having further categories of ebikes or mopeds, or treating more ebikes as bicycles. That is up to member states. What is not is e.g. saying that all ebikes are legally mopeds requiring wearing a motorbike helmet and registration plates.

TomMarius 8y ago
> What the EU regs say is that e-bikes with an engine under 250W, only pedalling assistance, and whose assistance cuts off above 25km/h must be considered bicycles (with all that implies with respect to legal registration, insurance requirements, available paths, …). Yes, that's the L1e-A category. > That's pretty much it. Nothing precludes having further categories of ebikes or mopeds, or treating more ebikes as bicycles. That is up to member states. No. Almost every single vehicle you could build has a vehicle category defined by EU regulation[1] and that same regulation requires vehicle inspection, license plates and driving licenses for these vehicles. That means that this vehicle model must be registered - tested, specifications approved by government etc. And of course if there is no category for your vehicle, you can't do it. > What is not is e.g. saying that all ebikes are legally mopeds requiring wearing a motorbike helmet and registration plates. You even said it yourself. That is the whole problem! Building a road legal vehicle in these categories is almost impossible if you're not a large company; importing it is even harder. The compliance required would at least double the price of the vehicle. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_category#EU_classification https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_category#EU_classifica...
- masklinn 8y ago
  > No. Almost every single vehicle you could build has a vehicle category defined by EU regulation[1] and that same regulation requires vehicle inspection, license plates and driving licenses for these vehicles. That means that this vehicle model must be registered - tested, specifications approved by government etc. This, again, is a cross-EU baseline for compatibility. The very page you link provides the example of the Czech Republic's own classification. > And of course if there is no category, you can't do it. Of course you can, EU classification categories are cross-country compatibility classifications, your own country can do whatever it wants as long as it at least matches those requirements. The EU allows driving an L1e on an AM license meaning any holder of an AM license can drive an L1e throughout the EU. Your country could require no license whatsoever on an L1e. What they can not do is require a higher license: as long as other laws and regulations are followed, any AM license holder should be able to drive an L1e. Likewise your country could have categories for things the EU doesn't have categories for, all it means is that these vehicles are not necessarily legal outside your country. > You even said it yourself. That is the whole problem! Of course not, that's completely nonsensical. > Building a road legal vehicle in these categories is almost impossible if you're not a large company; importing it is even harder. The compliance required would at least double the price of the vehicle. Oh for fuck's sake that has to do with your country's regulations not the EU, the EU does not forbid these vehicles, it only mandates baselines for member states. If you're unhappy with how the MOT handles s-pedelecs, take it up to your MP and the MOT.
  - TomMarius 8y ago
    So you're saying that if my country allows anyone to freely build any vehicle without any tests/inspections and gives it a license plate, I could ride it around the whole EU legally if it conforms to the EU category, and that my country is allowed to do that?
    - nl 8y ago
      Yeah. See for example the British kit car laws, which allow them to be driven throughout the EU.