Electric bike!!

[pete_b]

So whats the legal speed limit for electric bikes?

Im thinking along the lines of a trike but with electric power for on road which could be battery (heavy to fly with

or take the prop off and have the engine running an alternator charging a small battery (motorcycle)

Could be a worth while project me thinks.

Pete

[Neilzy]

The legal limit for a motorised wheelchair scooter type thing is 12mph according to highway code

[Richwill15]

Despite the more recent EU directive and standard, the UK’s Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycle Regulations 1983 (SI 1983/1168) have not been rescinded and still apply. These require that the motor has an average power output limited to 200 W (250 W for tricycles and tandems), weight limited to 40 kg (60 kg for tricycles and tandems), and a maximum speed when power-assisted of 15 mph. For electric cycles meeting these requirements, the vehicle does not require registration or periodic road worthiness assessment, and operators do not require a licence or insurance. (Operators must be at least 14 years of age.) However, since 2006, when Statutory Instrument 2935 brought EU Directive 2002/24/EC into UK law, vehicles that don't meet the EU definition of an electric cycle have required type approval. This overlap of requirements has certain effects, as described below.

The following features of a EU-definition electric cycle are not legally available in the UK:

upper power outputs between 201 W and 250 W on bicycles

maximum speeds between 15.01 mph and 15.53 mph

weights above 40 kg for bicycles and 60 kg for tricycles and tandems

The following features of a UK-definition electric cycle make a vehicle subject to type approval:

the application of motor power without use of the pedals

the application of motor power without progressive reduction to zero at 15.53 mph (meaning that at the maximum UK speed of 15 mph some residual supply of power is permitted)

There are no known cases of enforcement of the requirement for type approval. This could be because compliance with type approval is declared when a vehicle is first registered for use on the road, and UK-definition electric cycles are exempt from such registration by the 1983 UK regulations.

[pete_b]

Despite the more recent EU directive and standard, the UK’s Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycle Regulations 1983 (SI 1983/1168) have not been rescinded and still apply. These require that the motor has an average power output limited to 200 W (250 W for tricycles and tandems), weight limited to 40 kg (60 kg for tricycles and tandems), and a maximum speed when power-assisted of 15 mph. For electric cycles meeting these requirements, the vehicle does not require registration or periodic road worthiness assessment, and operators do not require a licence or insurance. (Operators must be at least 14 years of age.) However, since 2006, when Statutory Instrument 2935 brought EU Directive 2002/24/EC into UK law, vehicles that don't meet the EU definition of an electric cycle have required type approval. This overlap of requirements has certain effects, as described below.

The following features of a EU-definition electric cycle are not legally available in the UK:

upper power outputs between 201 W and 250 W on bicycles

maximum speeds between 15.01 mph and 15.53 mph

weights above 40 kg for bicycles and 60 kg for tricycles and tandems

The following features of a UK-definition electric cycle make a vehicle subject to type approval:

the application of motor power without use of the pedals

the application of motor power without progressive reduction to zero at 15.53 mph (meaning that at the maximum UK speed of 15 mph some residual supply of power is permitted)

There are no known cases of enforcement of the requirement for type approval. This could be because compliance with type approval is declared when a vehicle is first registered for use on the road, and UK-definition electric cycles are exempt from such registration by the 1983 UK regulations.

So

60kilos

250 watts

Max speed 16ish (with residual power? how much could you get away with)

I presume the speed limit is using power only but using pedal power as well is there a limit then I wonder???

(I have seen loads of electric bikes going a lot faster than this.

Pete

[Guest]

Not quite as fast as my Turbo bike was but......this guy has been running 'e' bike since I was racing in 2002!

[youtubevideo]

[/youtubevideo]

SW

[AndyB]

They are very expensive. The most expensive is 3x the price of the one I got and its spec data is somewhat dubious. It says 1600w and 110 kph!  I got my 2000w scooter from here   https://www.evoscooters.co.uk/electric-folding-scooters.html  and it can do about 45 kph. There is no way a 1600w one does 2.5 times faster!

 

[chrsfrwll]

8 hours ago, AndyB said:

They are very expensive. The most expensive is 3x the price of the one I got and its spec data is somewhat dubious. It says 1600w and 110 kph!  I got my 2000w scooter from here   https://www.evoscooters.co.uk/electric-folding-scooters.html  and it can do about 45 kph. There is no way a 1600w one does 2.5 times faster!

 

You were brave Andy clicking on a link from a new member with only 1 spam post. I looked up zero scooters via DuckDuckGo and found their top speed to be a more realistic 55kph. Still wouldn’t buy one though. As for Koawq and his link, not going there ...

[AndyB]

People seem to have the idea that clicking on a link can cause an issue. That is just very, very unlikely and can only be programmed if there is a vulnerability in the browser being use. Well known browsers have got rid of the vulnerabilities that used be present. The reason people get viruses now is because AFTER clicking a link, they then do something else on that site, allowing it to install some code. Just looking is very safe.......I am sat next to a computer scientist and programmer!

[sparty]

You can basically go as fast as you want, provided you have the leg speed and power to propel yourself along to a decent speed.  As already stated, the restrictions relate to the power output and the speed to which the electric motor can assist you, this being 15mph.  Beyond that you are governed by the legal speed limits of the road you are riding along, just as motorised/mechanically propelled vehicles are.  

As a retired Police officer I can honestly state that you would be extremely unlucky to drop on the one over officious Cop who knows the laws surrounding electrically assisted bikes and who had the knowledge and equipment to test your bike.  

[AndyB]

In the UK electric scooters are not currently legal on any road or any public place. However, they are commonplace around London already. I have used mine all over London.

[powerlord]

Though hired ones are in lots of UK towns:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/e-scooter-trials-guidance-for-users

I think the arguments are:

1. Its a trial

2. As mentioned, it's impossible to police private ones.. Which I sort of get but it's the easy way out.

I've been building my own electric bikes for about 15 years now. I do think the law is moronic.

For a start pedalec is dumb. If you want folk out their cars don't add unnecessary mince like 'the more you pedal the more help you get' - what f*ckwit thought of that. Don't dictate how an individual uses their transport. If they want a throttle and to never turn a pedal and it keeps them out a car, why is that bad? It's cycling nazism.

And the 15mph limit is also stupid. 25-30 and it becomes a far more viable method of transport.. And unlike cars, 70+% of the electric  effort is used to move you. In an electric car, with its usual single occupant, 4% of the energy is used to move you, the other 96% to move the one and a half ton of car around. Its madness.

 

 

[Bob27]

Have you ever tried an electric unicycle? I have been riding cheap ones for almost six years now and I recently had the opportunity to have a few months with a kingsong 16x and a few weeks with a Gotway MSX. The kingsong was awesome as it had nearly a 100 mile range, could do 30 mph and with my usage, I could go weeks without charging it. The Gotway was a whole new level. I personally hit 40 mph on one of them and could cruise up fairly steep roads at 30mph. I will say it was one of the coolest and strangest sensations I ever had standing upright with my hands free and my feet inches off the ground doing 40 mph and having only thing holding me off the ground be a single 20 inch tire tucked between my legs. 

I actually ended up selling the kingsong previously mentioned for a buddy of mine to someone who does hike and fly paragliding, but instead he would ride the unicycle up to where he would launch, place the unicycle in his back pack, fly down, and repeat. I still haven´t tried it yet, but it´s on my bucket list.

[alan_k]

Not really a unicycle, that has a seat. More commonly known as a Monowheel or One Wheel.

[asquaddie]

9 hours ago, Bob27 said:

Have you ever tried an electric unicycle?

I also have a MSuper EUC.  Last year I went to Lands End and back home again - over 2 nights and went 150 miles mostly tracks and small lanes.

Great little adventure, a lot along the South Coast - no flying though

A few guys take them to PMC Fly-ins (not sure if it pisses some people off, but OK when it's not flyable)

Tony

[powerlord]

Ywh I had a mono wheel in 2013/14. It was cool before it broke.