New electric-bike standards to upgrade sector

Chinese authorities proposed on Thursday stricter technical standards for electric bicycles, with the top designed speed of e-bikes capped at 25 kilometers per hour, to enhance safety and better regulate the country's rapidly growing e-bike sector.

The new standards, proposed by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and several other ministries, are part of China's broader efforts to improve product safety and streamline industry standards in the e-bike sector. The new standards were open for public opinion from Thursday.

One of the key updates is the enhancement of fire-retardant functions of e-bikes. The revised standards called for stricter flame resistance requirements for nonmetallic materials used in electric bicycles, while also limiting the use of plastic components.

The new standards also proposed that e-bikes must add features like real-time communication and Beidou satellite positioning so as to boost e-bike's safety through dynamic monitoring.

In addition, to curb illegal modifications, the standards also specify that controllers, batteries and chargers must be "interoperable", making it technically harder to tamper with them.

The MIIT data showed that China is a major global producer and consumer of e-bikes, with over 350 million units in use, and e-bikes have become a fundamental mode of short-distance transportation in daily life.

The new standards also raised the weight limit for e-bikes equipped with lead-acid batteries, from 55 kilograms to 63 kg. Additionally, the requirement for bikes to include pedals as a backup has been removed.

Zhou Chao, president of product technology of Chinese e-bike firm Yadea, said: "The new standards clearly define production capacity, inspection, testing and quality controls for electric bicycles. This can help drive companies to improve their technology and equipment, thereby enhancing the overall safety and quality of the e-bike industry."