BRUSSELS, Belgium - 19 environmental NGOs, consumer organisations, and tourism and mobility businesses have written a joint letter to urge the European Commission to harmonise charging systems for electric bicycles and other light means of transport (LMT). "The lack of standardisation of charging connectors is needlessly slowing Europe's green transformation," the group supported by the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) writes.

AMSTERDAM, the Netherlands - The e-bike is evolving rapidly and new user groups are entering the market, writes editor-in-chief Jan-Willem van Schaik in his editorial. "The question is whether the e-bike can keep the same classification and will continue to be seen as a bicycle. The classification as a bicycle has important legal implications."

BERLIN, Germany - The growing importance of cycling in the mobility mix brings new challenges to the industry. Consumer expectations and product requirements are shifting quickly and will continue to change in the years ahead. The 'user of tomorrow' was the key topic at a recent ZIV Technology Conference. What does this mean for construction, safety, and design? How is the industry meeting these demands with technological innovation?

BRUSSELS, Belgium - In an open letter, European manufacturers, logistics companies, and cycling logistics operators have urged the European Commission to maintain the existing legal framework under EU Regulation 168/2013, including its application to cargo bikes. "Recent proposals by the German industry organisation ZIV to cap assistance ratios, peak power and vehicle weight would undermine real-world usability," the letter stated.

BRUSSELS, Belgium - The dispute on future e-bike regulations in the European committee where e-bike standards are developed, the CEN/TC 333*, has entered the next level of argumentation. Until now, many questioned the German industry association ZIV over its standpoint. Yesterday, ZIV published a statement claiming that, "our member companies once again explicitly endorsed the proposed technical parameters, giving the association a clear mandate exceeding 80%."

BERLIN, Germany - E-bikes are the spearhead of electromobility in Europe. Over the past 10 years, e-bikes have fundamentally transformed the European mobility market. At the same time, stakeholders have become more diverse. The German research institute zNT assessed the discussion on the regulatory framework for e-bikes and concluded: if you want to change the regulations, you must not only provide technical arguments, but also prove that what has been achieved will not be jeopardised.