Europe cracks down on E-Bike tampering
Posted on in Business News , Cycles News
France is the latest country to legislate the prevention of e-bike tuning.
This new mobility law came into effect at the beginning of 2020 and states that anyone who modifies an e-bike motor to increase its power could be prosecuted. According to French statutory provision L317-1, anyone found guilty of this could face a 30,000 euro fine, one year in jail and even a driving license suspension for a period of three years. In addition to all of this the modified e-bike must also be immobilized and is no longer permitted to be used until it's brought back to conformity.
Measures in other European countries
The new French law fits in with stances taken by various other European countries as both Germany and Spain have also called for measures to be taken to prevent the tuning and manipulation of e-bikes.
Also in the UK authorities have been given the legal possibilities to check on dealers of the sale of tuned e-bikes.
The biggest manufacturer of e-bike drives has also taken measures. In June 2019, Bosch eBike Systemsannounced that its MY 2020 drives include anti-tuning features as part of the software that prevents any changes of settings. According to Bosch "This improvement of the system comes in response to a requirement included in the current European standard (EN 15194: 2017) for electric motor-supported bicycles."
GM Claus Fleischer added that "Bosch eBike Systems is persistently fighting the practice of tuning and continuing to develop its technology. It's important for us that the 25 km/h e-bikes continue to be classified as bicycles in future. We must protect and preserve this status so that bikers can continue to enjoy electric support."