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Electric Bike News

E-bike News: VanMoof bailout, Subsidies for E-bikes are More Effective than ZEVs

This week’s news shows the great variety out there in the e-bike world; we are concentrating on new launches in this issue and have Cannondale’s lightest e-bike yet, a small cargo bike with a rear hub motor, a slighter larger but still very manageable one with a powerful Bosch mid-drive, an all-wheel model from a car company with super powerful dual motors and last but not least, what claims to be a ‘smart’, lightweight and super-affordable friction drive. Prices? They range from $299 to $4799….

In this week’s e-bike news:

VanMoof Gets Cash Bailout
Subsidies for E-bikes more effective than subsidies for ZEVs
French brand Jean Fourche introduces e-bike
A foldable bike helmet that includes lights
Lawsuit against Rad Power Bikes adds two Taiwanese defendants

E-bike News: Ride1up Go Moped Style, Step-thru E-MTBs and Much More!

This week’s news has a very cosmopolitan flavour; whilst the fat-tired, keenly-priced new offerings from Ride1Up and Aventon are pretty much meat and drink for this website, we only occasionally cover e-bikes not available in the US or UK. So this issue feels like a mini-departure with news of what might be the start of trend originating in Germany in the shape of a wave of step-thru, (relatively) light, fully equipped e-mtbs and also an insight into how Japan’s Honda are taking aim at China’s unique domestic e-bike market. Finally, if you you want to know what the Dutch have been up to recently in their quest to provide the country’s bike riders with incredible infrastructure, check out the latest ‘invisible’ bike parking right in front of the country’s main train station.

In this week’s e-bike news:

Ride1Up launch moped-style REVV1
Aventon Aventure 2 – one of the best e-fat bikes out there gets torque sensing
Will full-sus, fully equipped, step-thru e-mtbs catch on? The Germans think so…
Honda target China with historically named e-bikes
280 mile Bonneville Shoreline Trail takes a legal step forward
Subaquatic bike parking in the middle of Amsterdam

E-bike News: SRAM look to enter e-bike market, Lectric E-trike and Much More !

EBR usually concentrates on e-bike launches and products that are already out there or at least very likely to be launched and in production over the next few months. You may not see a SRAM branded e-bike drive system any time soon but the seeming likelihood of them entering the market is this week’s lead story purely on the basis that if SRAM do ever launch their own system – as seems probable with their purchase of Amprio – it should have a huge impact on the e-bikes on offer out there purely because of their massive industry reach.

In this week’s e-bike news:

SRAM poised to enter the e-bike drive market
Lectric tease folding e-trike
Detroit e-bike with US-made steel frame
Sweden’s Cake to launch 20mph ‘workhorse’ mode
Enviolo’s new more affordable hub
CNBC e-bike safety video – is it anti-e-bike?
Denver relaunches e-bike subsidies

E-bike News: Heybike Magnesium, SWFT BMX, Desikino and Much More!

Exactly what does innovation mean when it comes to ebikes? That’s a question this week’s news seems to be asking. We start by looking at the touted advantages of magnesium frames and move onto a really powerful looking yet lightweight retrofit kit before a final look at a new lightweight hub motor. So, whilst none of this is truly innovative in the sense of reinventing the wheel, it really tells the tale that much progress is refinement of existing technology.

In this week’s e-bike news:

Heybike goes magnesium
SWFT BMX – yes it’s an e-BMX (kind of)
Spain’s Deskinio premieres lightweight innovative urban and gravel models
Will CYC’s new retrofit mid-drive make a powerful impact?
Other news on the Bay Bridge bike path, Yadea in the US and more

E-bike Trends to Expect in 2023

As the old joke goes, we can predict everything except the future – but that doesn’t stop us trying at Electric Bike Report anyhow. Many of the trends we outlined for 2022 at the end of 2021 did happen – but most weren’t really difficult to predict as they were signalled in advance – think single speed e-bike launches and battery recycling.

Trickier to predict are those more complex developments that have been bubbling away on the back burner for some time but the cost of production may still be prohibitive or they may need the final piece of functionality perfecting before a mass rollout. Some of these have been on the horizon for a number of years but sometimes it seems to be a constantly moving horizon. Still, in some cases we do seem to be genuinely nearer mass adoption in 2023….

Which Long-Promised Tech Will Arrive in 2023?

As we’ve seen a string of companies announce gearing that changes automatically and even gearing combined with motors – only for the rollout of the technology to be pretty limited, if it appears at all on any production run e-ebikes – perhaps some caution is wise in making any dramatic predictions here.

However, it’s clear the idea is still an attractive one, not surprisingly as it’s yet another small step to making bikes and e-bikes easier to use and with lower maintenance requirements. What’s more, it’s an idea that has worked well in the past (SRAM Automatix hub gears have come and gone but worked well on some e-bikes that used them before their demise in 2017).

Could automatic gearing be on the verge of mass adoption again in 2023? Some sophisticated auto-gearing systems are already out there, but these systems from the likes of Shimano and Enviolo naturally tend to appear on pricier e-bikes.

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Encouragingly, early 2022 saw Lime investing $50 million in their next generation of share e-bikes, which feature two-speed automatically changing gears amongst a host of other improvements which also include swappable batteries (meaning bikes don’t have to be out of use during charging). By summer Lime had auto-geared e-bikes available in Charleston, Atlanta and London, UK.

More evidence that automatic gearing was nearing the mass-adoption stage comes from the northern French city of Lille, France, where Decathlon held a test ride for journalists of their new B’Twin Long Distance 920 E Connected, due spring 2023. Whilst details are still scant, it’s clear this is a more complex design than Lime’s share e-bike, Decathlon choosing to house all gears along with a mid-drive in the bottom bracket area of the bike frame. French language reports from the initial journalist tryout are very positive, so EBR awaits the spring launch with baited breath. Whilst much heralded French competitor Valeo previously made a big splash with a similar motor design that still appears to be in the development stage as of late 2022.

Even more groundbreaking would be the emergence of the ‘disc-drive’ design of motor in 2023. EBR have reported on the lightweight, quickly removable Bimotal drive several times already with mass production having been slated for September 2022, though Bimotal’s website still only shows their $1950 Elevate disc drive as available for pre-order with delivery dates now stretching into 2023.

2022 saw the emergence of competition to produce the first commercial disk brake rotor drive in the form of Skarper – on paper this looks good, with a 3.3kg / 7.3lb weight, 50Nm torque and a 200Wh battery. But as yet no word on price or availability…

The Rise of the E-trike…Perhaps

Electric trikes are one thing EBR are often asked for more info on but struggle to come up with a huge range of options. We’ve reviewed the Evelo Compass and the front-loading Bunch Bikes The Original. But it’s very true to say electric trikes are a rare breed – they are great for stable load hauling or those with balance problems but often pricey and heavy.

2023 will see two new e-trike releases from Rad Power and Mate and where market leaders like Rad Power go others often follow. You can check out our detailed article on the RadTrike here, but with a pre-order price of $2499 it undercuts many competitor e-trikes. Hopefully EBR will be able to get their hands on one soon to give you direct feedback as the Rad Trike is due to start shipping in mid-January 2023.

Mate are not as well known in the US as Rad Power as they hail from Denmark and sell mainly in Europe. Up until now they have been known for folding e-bikes but their new SUV certainly looks novel – it is made from 90 per cent recycled aluminium, has Envilio stepless hub gears and and 4G connectivity that allows vehicle tracking. Perhaps more importantly, it can carry two children or one adult). It’s available to pre-order now for €49 and a final estimated RRP of around €6,499 / £5,600 and ‘current estimated delivery time is September 2023’ with availability in UK and Europe.

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Automakers Making a Move on E-bikes?

2022 saw Porsche acquire Fazua, maker of lightweight e-bike mid-drives. This comes on top of the German sports car company acquiring high end Croatian e-bike brand GreyP in 2021, giving it some serious proprietary e-bike hi-tech.

Could 2023 see more acquisitions by Porsche or more announcements by electric car makers they will enter the e-bike field? No doubt Porsche will be noting with interest the progress of Mercedes’ own-brand e-bikes as well as keeping an eye on electric vehicle makers Rivian and Polestar who both signalled possible moves into e-bikes in 2023.

E-cargo Innovation?

E-cargo bikes are a small but growing segment of the e-bike world and there’s always plenty of interest in big load carriers with the potential to replace expensive-to-run cars – so there’s bound to be a steady flow of e-bike companies looking to make a mark in this area in 2023. Here are a few who clearly have plans…

If you are not familiar with the UK’s innovative EAV four-wheelers you can check them out in use on the streets of New York here:

So far EAV have concentrated on the commercial market, selling more than 200 of their 150kg / 330lb capable machines to the likes of Amazon, FedEx and DPD. But they have plans aside of purely logistics sales in 2023, in the wake of a 2022 £7.5 million funding drive. These plans include a subscription scheme, a consumer machine called the EAVme and a two-wheel taxi, the EAVgo. They are also said to be working on a so-called L7 class light electric cargo vehicle (higher speed than the 15.5mph e-bike version they currently produce) and for their planned expansion into Europe and beyond EAV are working on a ‘flatpack’ solution.

EAV’s plans were perhaps responsible for sparking some German competition from Mubea who have traditionally specialised in lightweight auto technologies and developed the likes of specialist suspension systems and coachwork. 2023 should see various model configurations of the Mubea Urban_M Cargo, a four-wheeled electric cargo bike strikingly similar to the EAV, roll out of their factory. Prices are from 10,590 euros (ex VAT and delivery) and once ordered there is a 16-20 week build period.

Turning to the other end of the scale, 2023 might yet be the year of the lightweight e-cargo bike. Most notably the VELLO SUB is now available to pre order on Indiegogo with an expected delivery date of autumn 2023 and pre order prices starting at £2999. The lightest version, the VELLO SUB Titanium is £3749 in single speed configuration (with a 24kg / 53lb claimed weight) and £4249 with gears. VELLO has a history of successful Indiegogo campaigns, with the original bike and VELLO Bike+ being supported by nearly 500 backers to the tune of over £800,000.

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Four Wheels (or Possibly Three) and the US

Whether it’s four-wheeled e-bikes or electric microcars, the question remains who will be the first to crack the more difficult US market?

California-based Eli makes NEVS – Neighborhood ELectric Vehicles with a max 25mph speed (they are micro-cars in essence, not e-bikes) and 2022 saw them announce over 100 of their NEVs have been built, shipped and sold. Note Neighborhood Electric Vehicles is a class of street-legal transportation vehicle in the US that has a maximum speed of 25 mph, and can legally be driven on most roads posted 35 mph or less. You need a drivers’ licence, insurance and registration in states where NEVs are allowed – which is most states.

A European firm looking to come to the US in 2023 is Squad Mobility who are pioneering a micro-car with solar power from panels on the vehicle roof, touted as ‘the world’s first solar city car’. The solar power is claimed to provide up to 12 miles of solar range per day, as tested in Dutch summer conditions. It is available for pre-order now with delivery in 2023, and two versions will be offered, a 28mph two-seater and a 43mph four-seater.

One area EBR rarely covered – because there are so few machines out there of this design – is tilting three wheelers. Michigan-based manufacturer Nimbus has opened pre-orders for their compact electric vehicle, the Nimbus One in 2022 so we will be keenly tracking its progress in 2023 as delivery is slated for autumn.

As this is a very appealing but niche area, it also comes with a lot of risk, so 2023 could just as well see more scaling back of plans in addition to new launches. Just before writing this article Denmark’s Podbike downscaled its production plans which were aiming for a 10 million euro factory to a much smaller limited edition run of handbuilt vehicles. All the vehicles in this category can only really make retail prices appealing with such massive investment in production, so unique are the designs.

For more on the various contenders on the electric micro-car field check out this interesting video:

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More Solar Power ?

With the ongoing energy crisis there may be more solar e-bike products launched in 2023 – it’s perhaps surprising that 2022 didn’t see more launches like that of Mokwheel – but judging from the comments section the highly ambitious launch price has meant widespread dissatisfaction with numerous non-deliveries…..as ever with crowdfunding caveat emptor!

Far more reliable are the kits provided by Canada’s Grin – explained here and with parts here. As Grin say, you need a lot of panel to get anywhere near self-sufficient and you need to be riding somewhere with a lot of sun – but in many locations it’s clearly feasible for a solar panel setup of some description to make a meaningful contribution to an e-bike’s power requirements for at least part of year, even if it’s only on the form of a static solar-powered charging station.

Having said all this, it’s likely that totally solar powered (ie sun reliant) e-bikes will remain the stuff of serious hobbyists as this video of the 2022 Sun Trip through California demonstrates – just look at the size of those solar panels needed! If you are interested in this area note Sun Trip California 2023 is now being organised.

A Less Rosy Future for E-scooters and the Subscription Model?

It’s been an up-and-down year for e-scooters with 2023 set to be equally unsettled. The UK is one of the last countries in the western world where the use of privately owned e-scooters is banned on public highways. As Move Electric tells us ‘That suggests that rules to legalise e-scooters are now unlikely to be put before Parliament before the second half of 2023 at the very earliest – and is more likely to spill into 2024 or beyond.’

Clearly many e-scooter companies are struggling to make ends meet. Just to give one example, German e-scooter company Tier acquired Spin early in 2022, the e-bike and e-scooter firm owned by Ford, giving it access to the North American market where Spin operated in more than 70 cities with 50,000 vehicles. Shortly afterwards Spin left 10 U.S. markets due to ‘a combination of low demand, over-regulation, under-regulation and poor cost structures’, according to Spin’s CEO.

E-bike subscription services also felt the chill winds of a downturn as, months after poaching executives from US rideshare companies Uber and Lyft, Australian e-bicycle start-up Zoomo laid off 16 per cent of its staff. Those looking for a good e-bike deal in 2023 might well be turning to second hand models – French startup Upways certainly hope so, having raised $25 million investment in 2022. Upways has taken the second hand car dealer model and applied it to e-bikes. Buying electric bikes from both consumers and companies, Upways brings those bikes to its warehouse, checks them, repairs them in some cases and lists them on their website. Of course, Upway tries to generate a small margin on every sale. If the business shows itself to be successful it will be interesting to see if they – or others using the same idea – expand outside their own home territory of France.

However, turning away from e-scooter share’s struggles there appears plenty of innovation going on that may bear fruit in 2023. UK manufacturer and retailer Pure specialises in own-brand e-scooters and announced the Pure Advance, billed as ‘the e-scooter reimagined’. It boasts a new riding position that claims to spread your weight evenly on either side of the chassis combined with steering that returns to a central position automatically. We look forward to bringing you news of its public reception. Even more of a test for how far the e-scooter design envelope can be pushed is the Dragonfly Hyperscooter, from London-based company D-fly; a wild success on IndieGoGo indicates there may be a real demand for ‘out there’ e-scooter designs. Prices are from $1879 which will test just how much appetite there is for it.

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Lighter, more integrated kits?

The UK’s Swytch had one of the most high profile kt launches of 2022 with their new kit featuring a much lighter (though smaller capacity) battery. The smallest battery option, the Air, is now reduced in size by 70% and weight by 50% compared to its predecessor, with the quickly removable battery now fitting in the palm of your hand. The Air has a claimed weight of 700g (about 1.5lbs) and measures little more than 20x10x2.5cm. There is also a Max version of the battery which is only 1.4cm longer but twice as thick. Interestingly the charging port uses XT style connectors often used with solar panels, perhaps hinting at future developments.

Like many other kits, Swytch relies on a basic magnet ring sensor – perhaps another UK kit launched in 2022 points the way to neater, cleaner installing kits – the Boost kit has movement and speed sensors integrated into a rear hub motor so it’s simply case of swapping out the rear wheel and hooking it up the frame mounted battery. The display is wireless so in effect there is just one short wire run, making this one of the cleanest installing kits we’ve seen. It will be interesting to see if similar designs follow suit in 2023, should Boost prove hugely successful.

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Looking Back at the 2022 E-Bike Year

Looking back at the 2022 e-bike year it’s clear that the unprecedented high sales peak induced by Covid is a thing of the past, as sales of regular (non-electric bikes) continued to decline, prompting the Washington Post to ask in September ‘Is air leaking out of the bicycle boom?’

Despite short term worries about inventory levels and stock prices, the article notes ‘e-bikes are still massively popular’ – and the WP gives just a couple of examples of how pricier e-bikes are helping generate profits for Canyon and Signa Sports. Industry groups that featured premium e-bikes brands were the subject of big money takeovers in 2022 and the likes of Porsche began a move into e-bikes in a serious way.

So despite a seemingly increasingly uncertain world, e-bikes are still most definitely here to stay. An interesting BRAIN (Bicycle Retailer and Industry News) article in October looked to other areas as potential threats to strong e-bike sales, highlighting five threats to a popularity that has seen US e-bike sales grow 300% in the past five years. Out of category bikes (ie too fast), inexperienced users (linked to the wider issue of traffic safety education), online sales issues (i.e. potential lack of backup for internet only sales), very young riders (should a minimum age for e-bikes be looked at?) and finally which class of e-bike is allowed on which highway or trail were all highlighted. We cover some of these topics in this 2022 review, but first let’s take a look at what new tech has emerged throughout the year to keep e-bikes fresh and exciting, with lightweight power being the key theme….

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The Rise of the Lightweight Mid-drives

Higher quality mid-drives offer a fantastic e-bike riding experience with mid-drives featured on the most capable e-bikes out there, from go anywhere e-mtbs and an emerging ‘SUV’ type category to electric cargo bikes capable of taking crazy sounding loads safely and easily. Traditionally this area has been dominated by Bosch (market leader in this area), Brose, Shimano and Yamaha. 2022 saw the emergence of a couple of lighter mid-drive systems that several manufacturers adopted aimed at lighter and sportier – yet still powerful – e-bikes.

The new kids on the lightweight mid-drive block are the Fazua 60 and TQ’s HPR50. On paper it looks a close contest with respective stats of 60Nm vs 50 Nm (torque), 1.96kg vs 1.85kg (weight) and 430Wh vs 360Wh (battery capacity). They even appear to be an improvement, on paper at least, on one of the few other sub 4.4lb / 2kg mid-drives out there, Specialized’s highly regarded SL 1.1 which claims only 30Nm of torque.

Both Fazua and TQ scored big on the launch of the systems in 2022 with the likes of Haibike, Trek, Canyon and Riese and Muller being just a few of the big names to jump at the chance of featuring small, powerful mid-drives on their 2023 e-bikes.

Trek’s new Fuel EXe full-sus e-mtb was announced in summer and used the new TQ HPR50 mid-drive, virtually hidden behind the chainwheel. It claimed to weigh 38.51 lbs (17.47kg), came with a 360Wh battery and a price range of between $6,500 to $14,000. In October came Trek’s all new Domane+ SLR, an e-road bike which claims to weigh from only 24.2lbs / 11.75kg – that’s said to be around 1.5lbs / 700g lighter than its previous best thanks to it also adopting the new lightweight TQ mid-drive. Further success for TQ followed in November when Swiss brand BMC announced the HPR50 would be used in their Roadmachine 01 AMP X. The 15.5kg / 34.2lb Scott Lumen was a notable addition later in the year.

It was actually back in spring that the first of the lightweights was announced, with premium German manufacturer Riese and Muller announcing their Fazua-powered Urban Line. Hot on R&M’s wheels came Canyon’s Commuter:ON 8 LTD and the Roadlite:On 8 LTD from another German-based company, Canyon, also using Fazua’s Ride 60 system.

Haibike launched their Lyke e-mtb range in September, with carbon frame, Fazua Ride 60 motor, and 140mm of suspension front and rear. The in-frame 430Wh battery can be added to with a 210Wh optional external ‘Range Extender’. The three Lyke model variants have a weight range of 39.7lbs / 18.5kg to 41.9lbs / 19.6kg respectively). All weights given are for large size bikes with UK prices of £5,699 to £8,799.

It’s also worth pointing out that lightweight e-bikes still appeared with the existing slightly heavier mid-drive motors – for example late 2022 saw Orbea announce their lightest Rise e-mtb yet at 15.9kg / 33lbs (360Wh option).

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What About the Heavier Mid-drives?

Larger traditional mid-drives – weighing around 3kg / 6.6lbs also saw developments in 2022 and it will be interesting to see if these will be enough to see off the challenge from the lightweight upstarts we’ve just described.

A more powerful and lighter revamped mid-drive from Yamaha was probably the main news here; the PWseries S2 mid-drive unit is lighter and more powerful than its predecessor, the PW ST. The S2 will feature on 2023 e-bikes from a variety of manufacturers. The S2 is rated to a max torque of 75 Nm maximum torque – that’s over 7% more powerful than the PWseries ST and at 2.85 Kg there is a 16% weight saving. It also features Automatic Support Mode – as the name suggests, this automatically selects the right amount of assist based on riding conditions.

Other significant mid-drive developments saw Shimano launch the EP6, offering 85Nm torque high end performance but a more mid level price than their top of the line EP8 mid-drive though it weights in at 3kg / 6.6lbs, some 300g / 0.66lbs heavier than the EP8.

The new Bosch Smart System continued a slowly progressive rollout with more features added to its connectivity capability whilst their launch of a ‘limited edition’ Race branded Performance Line CX motor targeted hardcore offroaders who wanted extra and more sustained power uphill.

One of EBR’s favourite value brands, Lectric, launched their first ever mid-drive model, the XPremium. It’s a 28 mph-capable folding e-bike and comes with a throttle that allows it to operate as a class 1, 2 or 3 e-bike, depending on how the rider has it set up. It also has two batteries and a torque sensor.

An interesting budget option also launched in 2022 was the new M410 mid-drive from Bafang which soon appeared on the Eskute Netuno Pro currently selling in the UK for £1599. The M410 offers nominal 80Nm torque and weighs 3.2kg /7lbs (a reduction of 18% from predecessor M400).

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HUB MOTORS STILL VERY MUCH ALIVE AND STILL THE LIGHTEST

Despite the light weight of this new breed of mid-drives hub motors were still very much alive in 2022 and offered lightweight and cost advantages over most mid-drives.

The classic compact folder, UK’s Brompton, got even lighter in electric form as they launched their lightest e-folder yet, making train commuting with an e-bike an even more realistic prospect. Their Electric P Line weighed 15.6kg / 34.4lbs including the battery and made the record breaking weight by using a rear titanium frame and front forks rather than changing their own brand motor system. The bike itself weighs 12.7kg / 28lbs with a detachable battery pack making up the difference.

Mahle’s Ebikemotion X35 rear hub motor system is a staple of lightweight e-bikes, however Mahle want to push the envelope still further and 2022 saw them launch the yet lighter X20 system.

‘With only 3.2 Kg of system weight, including drive unit, inner battery and ‘connected’ head unit, the X20 System is the lightest eBike rear hub system on the market’ claim the manufacturers. Of course, ultra light usually means ultra expensive, with Scott using the system on five eAddict road bikes starting at $5999 whilst the Wilier’s Filante Hybrid also used it.

Lightweight doesn’t have to mean ultra-expensive however, as Cannondale in the US and Raleigh in the UK proved with their respective launches of the Compact Neo (40lbs / 18kg – $1900) and the Trace (36.3lbs / 16kg – £2199)

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Price Wars

Arguably, outside of much lightweight mid-drive activity, 2022 has seen the emphasis on keeping prices down as much as possible, with inflation fuelled by such events as a war in Ukraine, China continuing to struggle with Covid and the situation further exacerbated by continuing supply chain difficulties.

Supply chain difficulties dominated the start of the year, as pioneering brand Pedego explained the UK’s Financial Times:

‘Like many other companies struggling to weather the supply chain crisis, Pedego has had to try to keep its bikes rolling as it contends with a tight market for lithium-ion battery cells, suppliers in Malaysia closing factories due to Covid-19, the skyrocketing cost of shipping, containers trapped in log-jammed ports and a semiconductor shortage.
In total Pedego ordered 37,000 bikes for 2022 but when it tried to increase that number by 10,000, it was unable to do so because the parts were unavailable.’

According to Bosch’s Claudia Wasko, ’The average sales price in Europe’s core markets (Germany, Switzerland, Austria) is $2,700 compared to $1,800 in the United States.’

The premium priced, high quality US brands of e-bikes like Specialized and Cannondale were usually nearer the European average however, but 2022 may have seen a sea change, with price pressures and parts availability perhaps being the reason for major premium priced brands looking to introduce more budget priced, hub motored models.

Specialized teased what was apparently a hub motor model with their cacti-concealed Globe back in May, later revealed sans cacti, whilst Trek were actually first to truly break cover with their cheapest e-bikes yet, the Dual Sport + 2 and FX+2 ranges.

Finally in October Kona followed down the hub motor route. The Dew HD and Coco HD are priced at $1999 / €1,999 and the Rove HD at $2199 / €2,099. The fact that Kona itself was bought out early in 2022 by Kent Outdoors sports good manufacturers may have also helped push Kona down the hub motor route.

It’s been a turbulent year for one of the US’s biggest e-bike manufacturers, Rad Power Bikes, historically among the fastest growing e-bike brands in the U.S. 2022 saw Rad Power Bikes’ shed 163 employees in two rounds of layoffs, a new CEO and news of price rises to come in early 2023 (though on what models and by how much hasn’t been specified yet).

Talking of e-bike prices, it emerged in 2022 that UK consumers may be paying more for some models than in other countries, as described in this ebiketips article, noting ‘French sports goods giant Decathlon has said that its significantly higher UK prices for e-bikes are largely down to Brexit’ (the UK’s exit from the European Union in early 2020 is known as Brexit).

But it was still possible to get an e-bike with a ton of features for a low price (though we can’t vouch for the quality) in the form of Walmart’s full sus e-mtb with mid-drive, the Hyper-E, currently retailing at just $1498.

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Illegal Speed and ‘E-Bike’ Battery Safety Cause Controversy

Of course, there have always been illegally fast “e-bikes” – the ones that push the limits too much are often easy to spot streaking down the highway after all…but 2022 saw signs that the authorities are starting to crackdown on retailers (rather than the end users).

Up until recently retailers of illegally fast e-bikes simply issued a disclaimer along the lines of it being ‘for use on private land only’. However, two cases in the UK and Netherlands – where e-bike speeds are limited to 15.5mph and so where excess speed may be more tempting – show authorities are now taking the problem more seriously.

Back in March Cycling Industry News reported that ‘In a legal first, DVSA has announced the successful prosecution of a UK company which illegally supplied high powered electric assisted pedal cycles (EPACS) – not approved for UK road use.’The court heard that Monsterebikes Ltd were supplying “Falcon” branded EAPCs fitted with motors powered up to 8000 watts and capable of speeds over 70mph without having type approval in place to ensure that the design and construction is suitable for riding at such speeds. Crucially, DVSA presented evidence that the high-powered bikes had been marketed as capable of being ridden on roads and in public places – so crucially a simple disclaimer will not suffice, it’s the specifics of the info given and the tone of the marketing that matters – in the UK at least.

Bike Europe reported how in the Netherlands ‘27 internet resellers have been warned by the Dutch transport authorities to stop offering their fatbikes. Research showed that they offer e-bikes that go faster than 25 km per hour and/or have a higher power than 250 watt without approval. Such e-bikes must have type approval.’ The article makes it clear that simply stating an e-bike is for ‘off-road use’ cannot now be used as a loophole there.

Battery fires also had a higher profile than usual in 2022, with NYC food delivery workers demanding publicly provided solutions in the face of a clampdown on indoor charging. Initial reports in April in BRAIN (Bicycle Retailer and Industry News) suggested unregulated e-scooters were mainly the culprits while e-bikes were lumped in with that crowd most unfairly, and that article quotes Larry Pizzi, leader of the PeopleForBikes e-bike committee, as saying ‘we have rogue companies that bring in electric scooters from China without any kind of regulations, and it creates a bad image.” Pizzi suggested that retailers and consumers only buy e-bikes that have been certified by third-party testing labs, to the UL standard or other relevant standards. Pizzi’s specific advice has clearly been noted in Washington, as December saw BRAIN report that the ‘Consumer Product Safety Commission urged manufacturers and importers of e-bikes and other micromobility devices to comply with relevant safety standards, including UL’s 2849 standard. The CPSC said it sent the letter to more than 2,000 manufacturers and importers on Monday.’ However, confusion remains over whether enforcement action may be taken and also over the practical difficulty that only a small number of motor system manufacturers (for example Bosch and Fazua) actually have UL certification.

Note that e-bike battery fires remain very rare and that e-bikes from recognised brands (ie not the very cheapest bargain basement internet deals) carry very little risk if looked after and used properly.

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