The battery and the motor in an e-Bike result in a number of risks that do not exist in a conventional bicycle. In five chapters you can find information on the set of European rules and regulations that apply in all 27 member states regarding e-Bikes. Companies active in producing, distributing and selling electric bicycles or components of electric bicycles need to be aware of these rules and regulations and should observe them.
Batteries may contain metals such as zinc, copper, manganese, lithium and nickel, which are a risk to the environment and to human health if they are not correctly treated and disposed of. That is why the European Union has set out rules on how to collect, recycle, treat and dispose batteries in Directive 2006/66/EC, also known as the Battery Directive.
The Battery Directive applies to all batteries and therefore also includes Lithium Ion (Li-ion) and Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-M-H) batteries commonly used in electric bicycles. These are classified as “industrial batteries”.
The Battery Directive establishes one and the same framework for the collection and recycling of batteries in all Member States. It also sets out minimum rules for the functioning of national collection and recycling schemes, in particular for the financing of these schemes by the producers. It is up to the battery producers to finance the cost of the collection, treatment and recycling of waste batteries.
The catch however is in the definition of ‘producer’. It is the person in a Member State who supplies or makes available to a third party, batteries (including those incorporated into vehicles) in that same Member State for the first time on a professional basis.
The following examples are meant to clarify the definition. A battery manufacturer or a domestic importer in a Member State sells batteries to a retailer who in turn sells them to end-users in the same Member State. The battery manufacturer or the domestic importer is the producer. An electric bicycle manufacturer buys batteries outside a Member State, then incorporates them into the bicycle and sells this in the Member State. He is the battery producer in this Member State. A retailer sells batteries in a Member State, which he bought outside that Member State. The retailer is the producer.
The following specific measures apply to industrial batteries. The producers or third parties acting on their behalf have an obligation to take back waste industrial batteries. All collected industrial batteries must be recycled, they may not be disposed of in landfills or by incineration. By 26 September 2011, battery recycling processes must meet minimum recycling efficiencies of 65% for lead-acid batteries, 75% for nickel-cadmium batteries and 50% for other batteries.
Industrial batteries have to be readily removable from electric bicycles. If the battery is integrated in the bicycle, it has to be accompanied by instructions showing how the batteries can be safely removed and who is the best person to do this. Batteries must be labelled with a crossed out wheeled bin and chemical symbols indicating the heavy metal content of the battery. Producers must be registered in the national register of all Member States where they place batteries on the market for the first time.
Click here for more on:
- EU Regulations for e-Bikes (Part 1) Type-approval legislation and CEN standards
- EU Regulations for e-Bikes (Part 2) Machinery Directive
- EU Regulations for e-Bikes (Part 3) Electromagnetic Compatibility
- EU Regulations for e-Bikes (Part 4) Battery Transportation
- EU Regulations for e-Bikes (Part 5) Battery Directive
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