Electric bikes have been making the news recently but for all the wrong reasons – whether they are going too fast, perform like mopeds, or due to the fires caused by inferior e bike batteries and chargers. The first point we would make here is to say that ‘legal’ e bikes bought from reputable dealers (like us) are incredibly safe, reliable and will give you years of enjoyable cycling. The reason for this article is to give you the information on what makes an electric bike legally compliant for UK riding, what to look out for with illegal electric bikes, and how to avoid the dangers of illegal e bikes or illegal modifications. We also have a seperate blog on ” Are electric bikes legal in the UK? “.
Contents
- What makes e bikes legal or illegal in the UK?
- How To Ensure You Purchase a Legal E Bike
- The Benefits of Legal Electric Bikes
- What modifications are to be avoided?
- Consequences of riding an illegal e bike
- What makes illegal electric bikes dangerous?
What makes an electric bike ‘legal’ or ‘illegal’ in the UK?
For electric bikes to be legal in the UK, they must be classed as electrically assisted pedal cycles (EAPC’s). To be classed as an EAPC means that you can ride this e bike on roads, cycle paths and anywhere a non e bike can go. An EAPC does not need to be taxed, insured or registered and anyone 14 or over can ride them.
But what makes an e bike an EAPC? Here are the specific criteria (Source: gov.uk website)-
- Must be pedal assist – Power can only be supplied when you are pedalling the e bike. Throttle powered electric bikes are not compliant.
- Max assisted speed or 15.5mph (25kph) – Assistance can only be supplied up to a maximum of 15.5mph or 25kph. Once this speed has been reached, the electric motor will cut out. You can still cycle faster than this but it will all be under your own steam – no electrical assistance.
- No more than 250 watts of ‘continuous rated power’ – this will be written on the frame of legally compliant electric bikes.
And there are some markings that the bike should show in order to be compliant for UK riding (Source: gov.uk website) –
- The bike must show the continuous rated power output
- The bike must show the manufacturer
- And must show either the the battery’s voltage or the maximum speed the motor can propel the bike
If any of the above criteria is not met, the bike is not technically legal for UK cycling. The bike is therefore illegal if –
- It assists the rider above the 15.5mph or 25kph
- It is not pedal assist
- It has more than 250 watts of ‘continuous rated power’
- If it fails to show the relevant information on the frame (continuous rated power, manufacturer and either the the battery’s voltage or the maximum speed the motor can propel the bike).
How To Ensure You Purchase a Legal Electric Bike (EAPC)
The best way to ensure you buy a legal e bike is to shop at reputable retailers and only purchase brands that you know and have done some research on. Brands such as Specialized , Giant , Liv , Gazelle , Riese & Muller , Whyte , Brompton and Tern , for example, produce incredibly reliable and safe e bikes by using motors and batteries from reputable brands such as Bosch, Shimano, Brose (Specialized) and Yamaha (Giant and Liv) and will always be supplied with the correct charger (more on the importance of this later).
If you are buying second-hand, the same principles apply – only opt for known brands and as an extra precaution, remove and check the battery for any signs of damage before making your decision. If you can convince the seller to allow you to take the bike to a reputable dealer, they can run diagnostic tests to check the health of the battery and motor, and can also flag up if there are any other concerns.
The Benefits of Legal E Bikes
E bikes in general have so many benefits but here, we will specifically talk about the benefits of having a legally compliant e bike. To us, there are no benefits to having an illegal or illegally modified e bike.
Legal e bikes, or EAPC’s are –
- More Reliable – The larger and more known brands will have constant updates to improve performance and remove bugs, reducing any issues for your batteries and motors.
- Longer Lasting – The reliability extends to longevity also – the better quality motors and batteries that come on the most reputable brands will last significantly longer than lesser quality or inferior models. If an e bike is illegally modified to go faster than what is allowed, this puts excess strain on the battery and motor that will vastly reduce the lifetime.
- Safer – Untampered batteries from reputable brands that are supplied with the correct charger are very very unlikely to cause fires. The most likely causes of fires are inferior, unbranded batteries that use incompatible chargers.
- Fully Supported – If you buy a legal electric bike from a reputable retailer, you will likely get servicing and warranty support. You will also find replacement parts much easier to find for Bosch, Shimano, Yahama, Brose and the other big battery and motor brands.
- Do not require Licence, Registration, Tax*, or Insurance – Legal e bikes do not require any additional documentation in order to be ridden whereas modified e bikes can be made road legal by getting all the relevant documentation (Drivers Licence, Registration, Tax and Insurance) but then can only be ridden on the road. *Insurance is not a legal requirement for EAPC’s but it is highly recommended in order to protect yourself and other road users.
What modifications are to be avoided?
The only modifications that are ok are any modifications that you can make through an official app or retailer diagnostic software. For example, Specialized has their app that allows e bike riders to adjust the behaviour of the motor and battery but this does not change top speed, the pedal assist or the continuous rated power, making it fully legal to modify your bike this way. Likewise, retailer diagnostic software will never allow you to change the sttings that would render your e bicycle illegal.
The main aftermarket modification to avoid is ‘chipping’ or ‘de-limiting’ your e bike making it assist you past the 15.5mph or 25kph assist limit. Not only does this make your bike ‘illegal’, it also presents other problems.
Issues presented by de-limiting your e bike
- It’s illegal – Yeah this is a big one – you are breaking the law if you do this.
- Voids warranty – Any warranty on the bike will be voided as the battery stores all the information and can tell if the bike has been de-restricted. As soon as a retailer plugs the bike into the diagnostic software, this would be flagged.
- Significantly less range – Your battery will run down much quicker if the bike is allowing assistance at higher speeds
- Reduces the longevity of your battery – Running down the battery faster and therefore having to charge more often will vastly reduce the lifetime of your battery meaning a replacement will be needed much sooner – and batteries are not cheap.
- Puts excess strain on your componentry – Chains, cassettes, chainrings, brake pads, rotors, will all be affected by faster assisted speeds meaning more cost to you financially in the long run.
A note on Aftermarket conversion kits
We should mention that there are legal conversion kits available for pedal bikes that will result in a legally compliant, converted e bike but the above rules must be followed with regards to speeds and outputs. We do not deal with these kits nor do we work on them but they are worth mentioning.
We would recommend doing your research and reading reviews before opting for a conversion kit.
Legal Consequences of riding an illegal e bike
Some police forces, such as the City of London Police, have been performing stop-and-checks on electric bikes to see if they are road worthy. If an e bike is deemed to be illegal or illegally modified, the e bike can be seized and fixed penalty notices can be issued.
In one case from City of London Police, a man was charged with driving with no licence and driving without insurance and issued with a £660 fixed penalty, ordered to pay £352 surcharge, and had 6 points added to his licence.
Source: City Of London Police
What Makes Illegal E Bikes Dangerous?
The most common danger from illegal e bikes is the risk of lithium battery fires. Many of the illegal e bikes in the UK are cheap, inferior products with non-branded batteries and motors that have not been tested to UK safety standards. On top of this, the chargers supplied are often not specific for the batteries and can cause overheating which, in turn, leads to fires. In order to avoid these dangerous products, you should only choose reputable brands for your e bike, battery and motor. Here’s what London fire brigade have to say on the matter.
Whilst e-bikes and e-scooters offer a great way round the city, if the batteries become damaged or begin to fail, they can start incredibly ferocious e bike fires.
Many of these fires are caused by incompatible chargers, modifications to e-bikes, or faulty or counterfeit products which are purchased online. This includes chargers, lithium batteries and conversion kits for e-bikes. – London fire brigade www.london-fire.gov.uk
Signs to look out for that your battery may start a fire
We should again stress that the likelihood of a fire from a major brand is incredibly unlikely but there are some of the warning signs to look out for. Once again the source is below is London fire brigade fire service www.london-fire.gov.uk
Heat : It’s normal for lithium ion batteries to generate some heat when charging or in use. However if your device’s battery feels extremely hot to the touch, there’s chance it’s defective and may catch fire
Bulging : A battery bulging or swelling out of shape is a common sign of it failing. If your battery looks swollen, you should stop using it immediately. Similar signs include any type of lump or leaking from the device
Noise : Failing lithium batteries have also been reported to make hissing or cracking sounds
Smell : If you notice a strong or unusual smell coming from the battery, this could also be a sign of it failing
Performance : A failure to fully charge or longer charge times can be a sign that your battery is failing
Smoke : If your battery or device is smoking, a fire has already started
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