Cycling and the environment

Without any consultation with the electric bicycle sector, the European institutions included  electric bikes up to 25 km/h and a motor output up to 250 W in a regulation called RoHS II. This means that manufacturers would have to ensure and, if asked, prove that no Lead, Cadmium, Hexavalent Chromium, Polybrominated biphenyls (PBB) and Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) have been used, not only in the electrical and electronic components but also in no other vehicle component. Consequently, as of January 2, 2013, the CE-mark could only be affixed to pedelecs which are as a whole in compliance with the RoHS II-Directive. The European Twowheel Retail Association (ETRA) argued strongly against inclusion of e-bikes in this regulation. This would not contribute to reaching the objectives of the Directive and has therefore no beneficial impact. A new advice in the form of a draft fact sheet on electric bicycles now concludes “Overall, the inclusion of electric bicycles in the scope of RoHS II is expected to have very limited impacts, whether that is in environmental, economic or social terms.We will keep you posted on developments; also read here.