Is it because of big ambitions on rising exports of e-bikes to Europe? Fact is that the Chinese government wants all e-bikes made in the country to meet EU standards as from June 1, 2011. The end of May announced government plans are about phasing out e-bikes that exceed speed and weight limits published 12 years ago. These standards state that e-bikes can weigh no more than 40 kg and cannot go faster than 20 km (12.4 miles) per hour. However, the bulk of the estimated 120 million e-bikes in China have designed capacity of 30-40 kph and typically carry four batteries, which by themselves weigh at least 16-28 kg. Factories whose products do not meet the standards would be asked to close, while owners of e-bikes would generally be asked to stop using e-bikes that do not meet the standards. The government plans stirred widespread fears that more than 2,000 e-bike factories would close, affecting millions of users. 60% of the e-bikes in EU market today come from China. And not all of them are low-end e-bikes equipped with speed sensor for supermarkets and sports chain stores.
Read more in Bike Europe.
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