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BRUSSELS, Belgium - COLIBI and COLIPED, the European associations for bicycle manufacturers, assemblers and parts and accessories’ producers, are disputing the mandate that the European Two-Wheelers’ Retailers Association (ETRA) claims to have obtained at several meetings with e-Bike manufacturers on proposals for new e-Bike regulations. COLIBI and COLIPED are also against any changes in the current European legislation for electric bicycles.

In a letter to ETRA that was send today COLIBI and COLIPED state that: “We are in favour of maintaining the current specifications as described in this exemption to Directive 2002/24/EC. The most important reason for our opinion is road safety. Both many bicycle lanes and bicycles are not designed for safe use over 25 km/hour. Also, the bigger difference between riders with lower and higher speed will become dangerous. The power limit is comparable to the maximum human power by a trained rider.

"We are surprised that ETRA states to represent the bicycle industry"

“Furthermore we are surprised that ETRA states to represent the bicycle industry. According to their website, ETRA’s goal is to protect and to promote the interests of the independent bicycle dealers in Europe. The European bicycle manufacturers, assemblers and parts and accessories’ producers are officially represented by COLIBI and COLIPED. Of course you can represent the interests of individual (industrial) companies if that is in line with the goals of your association.

"These companies however cannot give you the mandate to represent other companies as well. We therefore kindly request you to correct your statements in which you indicate to represent the bicycle and bicycle parts’ industry. On behalf of the European bicycle and bicycle parts & accessories’ industries, COLIBI and COLIPED will inform the European Commission about their opinion.”

Interest of the dealers

In a response ETRA says: COLIBI and COLIPED have indeed informed us before that they are in favour of maintaining the current specifications. And ETRA’s goal is indeed to protect and to promote the interests of the independent bicycle dealers in Europe. It is exactly in the interest of these dealers that ETRA has always been in favour of changing the current specifications.

“In 1999, ETRA has very intensively lobbied the European Commission and Parliament for an exclusion of electric bicycles from the moped and motorcycle type-approval without any technical specifications in order to allow the companies concerned to determine the most appropriate specifications themselves. We are surprised to note that you seem to forget that for this lobby there was an ETRA, COLIBI, COLIPED alliance.

“Ever since the European Commission introduced in 1999 the 25 km/h and 250 W specifications for e-Bikes, ETRA has always kept to its position that these specifications may well obstruct the full market development of electric bicycles, as well as to the position that the moped type-approval procedure is not the most appropriate for vehicles excluding these specifications. Such an obstruction goes against the interests of the European bicycle and that is why ETRA has seized the opportunity of the review of the type-approval to lobby for better regulations.

"Proposal supported by ZIV"

“Although COLIBI and COLIPED had made their position clear, we were not sure that this position was shared by the majority of companies in the electric bicycle industry. Therefore, we have organised three meetings, which proved beyond any doubt that the electric bicycle industry was not in favour of maintaining the current specifications. The proposal which has been submitted has been developed by these companies and is currently supported by more than 50 companies as well as the ZIV, which is the German member of COLIBI and COLIPED.

“We have never stated that at ETRA we represent the bicycle industry and we have never assumed that the mandate we have been given at the three meetings was a mandate to represent other companies as well. On the contrary, we have asked all companies and organisations who support the ETRA proposal to clearly state so. The list of companies and organisations who support our proposal is published on our website.

“Finally, as for the COLIBI and COLIPED argument that the specifications should be maintained for the sake of safety; the ETRA proposal does not include an increase of speed, whereas all companies involved in the development of the proposal agree that the increase of the power limit will contribute to road safety.”