Comment by pa7ch
4 years ago
I never understood while we regulate on the mechanism to engage the motor instead of top speed or max power.
4 years ago
I never understood while we regulate on the mechanism to engage the motor instead of top speed or max power.
Agreed, 70mph but you have to pedal to keep the bike going = e-bike (although an illegal one)...
15mph and has a throttle = electric motorbike (and also illegal)...
But make that 15mph illegal electric motorbike 10mph faster and add extra hardware so users have to waggle their feet around in a circle to trigger the motors... SUDDENLY LEGAL!
I highly doubt there are any safety benefits from pedalling - it seems like an arbitrary limit.
> it seems like an arbitrary limit.
Of course it is, all limits are arbitrary, even if informed. Lawmakers probably picked limits which would be reasonably achievable by average healthy humans over long distances.
> all limits are arbitrary
I should have really said purposeless!
Usually limits have a purpose - for instance limiting the speed of cars by law is because of accident reduction.
Unless the argument is that pedalling makes it safer, it seems to be a limit for no particular reason.
Pedelecs are regulated on all three: maximum continuous power of 250W, assistance only from 6km/h, top assisted speed of 25km/h.
The point of pedelec regulations (in europe anyway) is to be a baseline: anything which satisfies the pedelec specs must be treated as a bicycle by all member states, so if you have a pedelec you know that it will be usable as a bike throughput the union. Member states can go beyond if they want to.