New law will say yes to the 30 mph electric bicycle

It looks like European law is finally about to catch up with a new breed of faster electric bicycle. And it’s about time, too. While the uptake of electric cars remains painfully slow, the popularity of the 30 mph speed pedelec is soaring. Sales in Holland increased by over 30 per cent last year alone.

One such speed pedelec is the Stromer ST2, a 30 mph- bicycle that allows you to control three levels of assistance from the electric motor as well as the degree of regenerative braking. Thanks to an efficient motor and a battery capacity of 983 watt-hours, the ST2 can cover up to 180 kilometres before it needs to be recharged.

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With a price tag of around £6,000 the Swiss-made Stromer ST2 is the Rolex of the fast pedelecs world.

As the speed pedelecs market grows, so too does the range of bike styles on offer. High-speed electric bikes are now available as town bikes, MTBs, folders and adventure tourers. The Riese & Müller Charger GX offers assistance of up to 275 per cent at a speed of up to 45 km/h. And even when walking the bike when its racks are laden with panniers, the Charger GX helps with an assisted ‘pushing mode’.

How is European law on speed pedelecs changing?

There are two categories of electric bicycle law in type-approval L1e-A is for powered cycles with a maximum speed of 25 km/h and maximum 1 kW of power. L1e-B includes speed pedelecs with maximum 45 km/h and 4 kW.

It is not yet clear which conditions for use of these vehicles will be imposed by individual European member states. According to reports, the German and Dutch transport ministries are in favour of making motorcycle helmets mandatory when using speed pedelecs moped helmet. By contrast, the Belgian minister has been advised that a bicycle helmet should be adequate.

Cycle insurance for electric bicycles

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