E-bikes:ChargingTowardCompactCyclingCities

TDP

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

AUTHORS:

DanaYanochaITDP

JonasHagenIndependentConsultant

ResearchanddraftingsupportprovidedbyEvelynYuen

EXPERTSINTERVIEWED:

Theauthorsthankthefollowingexpertswho

generouslyprovidedtheirtimeandinsightsduringtheinterviewphase,whichstrengthenedthequalityofthisreport.

BenjaminHategekimanaITDPAfrica

DanielleHoppeShanshanLi

QiuyangLu

MegaPrimatama

CiptaghaniAntasaputraSyifaMaudini

DelianiSiregarPhilipAmaral

NoaBanayan

JulesFlynn

DanielGuth

JustineLee

MichaelLinke

MikeSalisbury

CarolineSamponaroSebleSamuel

SonalShah

TejusShankar

CeriWoolsgrove

ITDPBrazil

ITDPChina

ITDPChina

ITDPIndonesia

ITDPIndonesia

ITDPIndonesia

ITDPIndonesia

EuropeanCyclists’Federation(ECF)PeopleForBikes

(formerly)

Zoomo+ITDPBoardAlian?aBike

ITDPBoard

IndependentConsultantDenverOfficeofClimateAction,Sustainability,

andResiliency(CASR)Lyft

TransportDecarbonizationAllianceandITDPBoard

TheUrbanCatalysts

Lyft

EuropeanCyclists’Federation(ECF)

PublishedMarch2024

SupportforthisreportwasgenerouslyprovidedbyClimateworksFoundation.

REVIEWERS

CiptaghaniAntasaputraBernardoBaranda

ShelleyBontjeJulesFlynn

CamilaHerreroRodriguez

DanielleHoppeChrisKost

JacobMason

LarryPizzi

AshleySeawardTejusShankarDelianiSiregarAVVenugopal

LiWei

JonathanWeinertCeriWoolsgrove

ITDPIndonesia

ITDPMexico

DutchCyclingEmbassyZoomo+ITDPBoard

C40

ITDPBrazil

ITDPAfrica

ITDPGlobal

AltaCyclingGroupPeopleForBikes

Lyft

ITDPIndonesia

ITDPIndia

ITDPChina

2BillionBikesFoundationEuropeanCyclists’

Federation(ECF)

climateworks

FOUNDATION

COVERPHOTO:

Itiscommonto

findelectricand

mechanicalbicyclesonBogotá'sbicyclelanesduringrushhour.

SOURCE:ITDP

CONTENTS

E-BIKES:CHARGINGTOWARDCOMPACTCYCLINGCITIES

I.INTRODUCTION

UnlockingthePotentialofE-BikesforClimate,Equity,andAccessinCitiesIntegrationwiththeBuiltEnvironment

PotentialforCarbonReductions

ImprovingAccessandEquity

StimulatingEconomicOpportunities

AGrowingMarket

ContextforthisReport

II.WHATISANE-BIKE?

DefiningE-Bikes

ClassificationofE-BikesAroundtheWorld

FosteringE-BikesinIndonesia,aNascentMarket

CreatingClarityinBrazil,anEmergingMarket

ThreeClassesofE-bikesintheUnitedStates,anEmergingMarketRefiningE-BikeClassificationsinChina,aDevelopedMarket

III.WHATIMPACTSCANE-BIKESDELIVER?

ClimateImpacts

DecarbonizingtheTransportSectorbyReplacingCarTrips

EstimatingtheClimateImpactsofaLarge-ScaleGlobalShifttoE-BikesAccessImpacts

ExpandingAccesstoAffordable,CleanTransportation

ProvidingAlternativesforUnderservedGroups

EconomicImpacts

ProvidingEconomicOpportunityforDeliveryWorkers

UnlockingDomesticManufacturing

IV.SEVENKEYBARRIERSTOE-BIKEUPTAKE

V.RECOMMENDATIONSTOSUPPORTE-BIKEUPTAKE

4

8

14

23

28

4

I.INTRODUCTION

UnlockingthePotential

ofE-BikesforClimate,Equity,andAccessinCities

Electricbicycles(e-bikes)arevastlypopularwiththeirowners,andtheiruseisgrowingby

leapsandboundsaroundtheworld.Forthepurposesofthisreport1wedefinee-bikesas

electricallypoweredtwo-andthree-wheeledcyclesthatarecompatibleintermsofsizeand

maximumspeedwithconventional(nonmotorized)bicycles.Ourdefinitionofe-bikesdoesnotincludeelectricscootersormotorcycles(seeSectionIIforamorecompletedefinition).

E-bikeshavemultiplepositiveimpactsfortheclimateandaccess(seeSectionIII),especiallywhenusedinplaceofprivatevehicleslikecarsandmotorcycles:

IntegrationwiththeBuiltEnvironment

E-bikesarecleaner,quieter,andmorespace-efficient,andtheyintegratebetterintocity

streetsthancarsandinternalcombustionengine(ICE)two-wheelers.Theyhavethepotentialtoprovideexcellentmobilityoptions—forpeopleincities,andforthoselivinginmoreperiph-eralurbanandevenruralareastoo.

SOURCE:CityofDurhamNCviaFlickr

PotentialforCarbonReductions

Thepotentialfore-bikestoreplaceautomobile(and,tosomeextent,ICEtwo-wheeler)tripsisgreaterthanfortraditionalbicycles,withelectricmotorsreducingthechallengesofhills,hotweather,andlongerdistances.E-bikescanalsogreatlyexpandtheshareofpotentialusersofpublictransport,leadingtofurtheremissionsreductions.Thismakese-bikesakeypieceinthepuzzleofreducingcarbonemissionsfromurbantransport.

ImprovingAccessandEquity

E-bikeshavethepotentialtoimproveaccesstodestinations—particularlyforhistorically

underservedgroups,includingwomen,theelderly,andlow-incomepopulations—giventheirlowcost(relativetocars)andeaseofuse.Sharede-bikesaspartofbikesharesystemsarealsobeingusedatmuchhigherratescomparedtoconventionalbikesharebicycles.

SOURCE:CityofDurhamNCviaFlickr

StimulatingEconomicOpportunities

Thedomesticproductionofe-bikesisanopportunityforcountriestostimulatebothmanu-facturinganddownstreamjobsasaresultofincreaseddemandfore-bikes,suchasinbicycleretailandmechanics.Further,e-bikesusedincommercialapplicationsprovideasourceof

incomeandeconomicopportunityforbicycledeliveryworkers.

AGrowingMarket

In2022,theglobalmarketfore-bikeswasvaluedatUSD$37.5billion,orabout15%ofthe

globalmarketforallelectricvehicles(valuedatUSD$246.7billionin2020).1Withdemandfor

e-bikesgrowingrapidlyinmanyregions,theglobalmarketisexpectedtoincreaseto$119.7

billionby2030,withanannualgrowthrateof15%(totalgrowthof220%).2Manycountries—in-cludingJapan,Brazil,theUS,Australia—areexperiencingrapidgrowthindemandfore-bikes.IntheUS,forexample,thenumberofimportede-bikesincreasedfrom25,000in2019(pre-pan-demicdemand)to463,000unitsin2020and790,000in2021—anincreaseofmorethan3,000%from2019to2021.IntheUS,e-bikeimportswerehigherthanelectriccarandtruckimportsin2020(463,000e-bikesversus325,000electriccarsandtrucks)and2021(790,000e-bikesversus652,000electriccarsandtrucks).3

E-BikeGrowthbyRegion2020–20254

EuropeanUnion

$2’200

5’000’000

UnitedStates$

Japan

$500-$1’000

737’740

China

$300

4’670’000

GrowthofE-BikeMarket

India

$240-$1’800

91’142

LOW

MEDIUM

HIGH

Brazil$1’36944’833

Country

AverageE-BikeCost(USD)

#E-BikeSales/Year

1FortuneBusinessInsights.(May2023).

“ElectricBikeMarketGrowth&Trends|IndustryAnalysis[2030].”

2FortuneBusinessInsights.(May2023).

“ElectricBikeMarketGrowth&Trends|IndustryAnalysis[2030].”

3NorthAmericanBikeshareandScootershareAssociation.(August2022).

3rdAnnualSharedMicromobilityStateoftheIndustryReport2021

?eBicycles(January2024),

UsefulFacts&StatsofE-Bikes

;AlexandruArba(June2023),

Salesvolumeofelectricpower-assist(pede-

lecs)bicyclesinJapanfrom2011to2020

;Alian?aBike(April2023),

.br/mercado-eletricas-2023/

;Confedera-tionofEuropeanBicycleIndustry(July2022),

BicycleandE-BikeSalesContinuetoGrow,ReachingRecordLevels

;PeopleForBikes(May2023),

ElectricBicycleIncentiveToolkit

;BlueweaveConsulting(September2022),

IndiaElectricBicycle(E-Bike)Market—by

5

PropulsionType(Pedal-Assist,Throttle);ByBatteryType(LeadAcid,Lithium-Ion,NickelMetalHydride,Others);ByRegion(North

India,EastIndia,WestIndia,SouthIndia),TrendAnalysis,CompetitiveLandscape,MarketShare&Forecast,2018–2028

;ITDPIndia(June2022),

StatusofE-MicroMobilityinIndia

;iResearchConsultants(August2022),

China’sTwo-WheeledElectricVehicleIndustry

WhitePaper2022

.

6

Thelargestexistingmarketfore-bikesisChina,withmorethan183millione-bikesinurban

areas5andareported350millione-bikescountrywidein2021.6Theprevalenceofe-bikesin

Chinacanbeattributedtoavarietyoffactors,including:1)bansonmotorcyclesimplement-edinthelate1990s,2)challengesassociatedwithacquiringmotorcyclelicenses,3)relativelyshorttraveldistancesinChinesecities,and4)affordabilityofe-bikes.E-bikesbecameapop-ularreplacementformotorcyclesaftermajorChinesecitiesbannedmotorcyclelicensinganduseintheearly2000s.7Asaresult,e-bikesinChinaaremorevisuallysimilartomopedsthan

bicycles,thoughtheirweightandpoweralignwithlow-speede-bikes.Manyrelativelylow-coste-bikeoptions(low-endmodelsstartataroundUSD$300)areavailable,too.Chinesecities

havealsoexpandedinvestmentsincycleinfrastructureoverthepastdecade,providingsafeandcomfortabletravelspacesfore-bikeriders.

AfamilyridesanelectricbicyclealongadowntownstreetinBeijing.

SOURCE:

1000WordsviaShutterstock

Overall,theprojectedglobalgrowthinthee-bikemarketinthecomingyearsrepresentsanop-portunityforlocalmanufacturingandassembly.Althoughmoste-bikesarecurrentlyproducedinChinaandtheEU,companiesinothercountries,includingtheUS,India,Indonesia,Brazil,

Mexico,andKenya,arebeginningtoproducee-bikes.

ContextforThisReport

Whilee-bikesaregrowinginpopularity,itisalsorelativelyearlydaysinthedevelopmentof

thistechnology.Local,regional,andnationalgovernmentsaregrapplingwithwaystointegratee-bikesintotransportationnetworksincitiesandinperi-urbanandruralareas.Manycoun-

triesandcitieshavenotyetclearlydefinedwhate-bikesare,whatqualitystandardstheymustmeet,and/orwheretheycanbeused.Thislackofclarityhasledtosafetyconcernsaround

conflictsbetweenpeopleone-bikesandotherstreetusers,deadlye-bikebatteryfires,andotherchallenges.Toavoidtheseregulatoryconfusions,governmentsmustengagethetopic.

However,werecognizethatthereisnosingle“best”waytoregulatee-bikesandintroduce

themintolocalmarkets,sogovernmentsmustworktodevelopthesolutionsthatworkbestintheircontext.

Recognizingthispivotalmomentinthetrajectoryofglobale-bikeuptake,thisreportaimstodefinee-bikesandevaluatehowandwheretheyarecurrentlybeingused,thebenefitse-bikescandeliver,factorspreventingmorewidespreadadoption,andhowcitiesandnationalgovern-mentscanrespond.Aspartofthisbroadergoal,thereporthastwomainobjectives:

1)toshowcasehowe-bikescancontributetoclimate-friendly,livable,equitablecitiesbyreducingcarbonemissionsand

?ITDP.(December2021).

TheCompactCityScenario—Electrified

.

?XuBing,ChinaNewsShanghai.(June18,2023).

奔赴賽道，中國(guó)兩輪電動(dòng)車行業(yè)滿足消費(fèi)者多元需求-中新社上海

[Headingforthetrack,China’stwo-wheeledelectricvehicleindustrymeetsdiversifiedconsumerdemands].”?Guoetal.(2020).

Personalandsocietalimpactsofmotorcyclebanpolicyonmotorcyclists’home-to-workmorningcommuteinChina

.

7

2)toprovideguidancetomunicipal,regional,andnationalgovernmentsonhowtoencourageandintegratee-bikesintoexistingtransportnetworks.

Wedrawonexistingresearchaswellaslessonslearnedfromgovernmentandprivate-sectorsuccessesandshortcomingsfromaroundtheworld.Thereportreliesheavilyondatagatheredfrom14interviewswithe-bikeexpertswhoworkinninecountriesacrosssixcontinents,in-

cludingITDPstaffandexternalconsultants.

Notably,thisreportaimstoevaluatetheuseandpotentialimpactsofe-bikesseparatefromtripsmadebyICEtwo-wheelers(suchasmopedsormotorcycles).E-bikesandtwo-wheelersareoftenconflateddespiteimportantdifferencesintheiruse,requirementsforsafeoper-ation,andpurchaseprice.Citiesandcountrieswheretwo-wheelersareprevalenthavefacedparticularchallengestoadoptinge-bikes(seeSectionIV).Astheglobale-bikemarketgrowsandalargerrangeofe-biketypesbecomesavailable,usingthemtoreplaceICEtwo-wheelerswilllikelybecomemorecompetitive.Importantly,strategiestoelectrifytwo-wheelerfleetsshouldincludeencouragementofmodalshifttoe-bikes.

8

II.WHATISANE-BIKE?

DefiningE-bikes

E-bikesareelectricallypoweredtwo-andthree-wheeledcyclesthatarecompatibleinterms

ofsizeandmaximumspeedwithconventional(non-motorized)bicycles.E-bikescomeinvari-

ousformsandservemultiplefunctions,includingtransportingpassengersandgoods.Thema-

jortypescurrentlyonthemarketaredetailedinTable1.Notably,wedonotconsidere-mopeds

ande-motorcycleswithoutpedalsandwithmaximumspeedsabove45kph(e-motorcyclescan

typicallytravelevenfaster)tobee-bikes.

Table1:Whatisane-bike?

Type

Maximumspeedbeforeassistshutoff

Assistprovidedby

E-bikes

Compatible

with

conventional

bicyclesin

cyclelanes

Low-speede-bikes

25kph

Pedalassistorthrottle

E–cargocycles

25kph

Pedalassistorthrottle

Medium-speede-bikes

32kph

Pedalassistorthrottle

Shouldnotbe

riddenincycle

lanes

Speedpedelecs

45kph

Pedalassist

Note-bikes

E-mopeds

Nospeedlimiter(topspeed50kph+)

Throttleonly

E-motorcycles

Nospeedlimiter(topspeed80kph+)

Throttleonly

Asafirststeptounderstandinghowe-bikesarebeingusedandwhattheirpotentialcanbe,thisreportwillprimarilyfocusonlow-speede-bikes,includinge–cargocycles(seeHighlightBox1),wheretheelectricassistshutsoffwhenamaximumspeedofabout25kph(orupto

15mph)isreached.Becausethemotorpowerislow(generally250wattsorless),low-speede-bikesfunctionsimilarlytoaconventionalbicycle8evenwhentheelectricassistisactivated.Thisreportoccasionallyreferences,butdoesnotfocuson,medium-speede-bikesandspeedpedelecs,thoughwedoconsiderthesetobee-bikes.

?Inthisreport,theauthorsusetheterms“conventional”and“traditional”interchangeablytorefertobicyclesthatdonothavemotors.

GoodsDistributionbyCargoCycles—aCaseStudyinSaoPauloCity”

15Becker,S.,&Rudolf,C.(2018).

Exploringthepotentialoffreecargo-bikesharingforsustainablemobility.

E-cargocycleusedbytheGermanpostal serviceinMunich.SOURCE:AnneCzichosviaShutterstock

BOX1:TYPESOFE-CARGOCYCLES

Deliverybike

Longjohnbike

Longtailbike

Frontloadtricycle

Heavy-loadtricycle

Electriccargocyclesserveasalast-milesolutionforurbanfreightaswellastotransportpassengersandgoodsbyprivateusers,andtheyhavegreatpotentialtosubstituteforvehicletripsinthesecontexts.Comparedtostandardelectricbicycles,e–cargocycleshavealargercarryingcapacityandhigherpoweroutput.E–cargocyclesareusedbyprominentcourierssuchasAmazon,UPS,DHL,and

Germany’spostalservice(DeutschePost)inplaceofcarsandlight-dutytrucks.Freightdeliveriesaretrendingtowardsmallerpackages,withincreaseddemandfortighterdeliverytimewindowsandsame-daydelivery.Thistrendmakese–cargocyclesincreasinglyattractivetoreplacecarsandlightcommercialvehiclesforurbanfreightdelivery.9Anotheradvantageofe–cargocyclesistheirabilitytousecyclelaneswhenstreetsarecongested,therebysavingtime.ThiswasthecasefortheoperatorofNewYorkCity’spublicbikesharesystem,whichstartedusinge–cargocyclestotransportbicyclesaroundthecity’sbusieststreets,asvansperformingthesametaskwerefrequentlycaughtintraffic.10

Researchershavefoundthat19%to48%ofcouriertripsmadebyautoscouldbereplacedbye–cargocycles.11TheCO2reductionsfromalarge-scaleshifttoe–cargocyclesforfreightwouldbedramatic:CasestudiesfromPorto(Portugal),12the

Netherlands,13andS?oPaulo(Brazil)14havefoundCO2reductionsof73%,80%,and90%,respectively,whenshiftingdeliveryservicesfromautostoe–cargocycles.

Inagrowingnumberofplaces,personale–cargocyclesareusedinplaceof

carstotransportgroceries,large-volumeobjects,andadditionalpassengers.AprograminGermanyandAustriamadecargocycles(electricandconventional)availableforfreeformorethan9,750users,andasurveyindicatedthatabouthalfofparticipants(46%)substitutedtheircartripswiththesharedcargo

cycles.15

9Rudolph,C.,&Gruber,J.(September2017),“Cargocyclesincommercialtransport:Potentials,constraints,andrecommendations,”ResearchinTransportationBusiness&Management,24,26–36.

10Lyft,Inc.,2022,

HowWe’reRebalancingtheCitiBikeSystem

.

11Gruber,Johannes,VerenaEhrler,&BarbaraLenz.(2013).“Technicalpotentialanduserrequirementsfortheimplementationofelectriccargobikesincourierlogisticsservices.”13thWorldConferenceonTransportResearch(WCTR).

12Melo,S.,Baptista,P.(2017).“

Evaluatingtheimpactsofusingcargocyclesonurbanlogistics:integratingtraffic,environmental

andoperationalboundaries.

”

13Moolenburgh,E.,vanDuin,R.,Balm,S.,Altenburg,M.,&vanPloosAmstel,W.(2020).

“Logisticsconceptsforlightelectricfreight

vehicles:AmultiplecasestudyfromtheNetherlands

”

14OrmondJunior,P.A.,Telhada,J.,&Afonso,P.(December2018).

“EvaluatingtheEconomicandEnvironmentalImpactoftheUrban

?

9

ClassificationofE-bikesAroundtheWorld

Whiledemandfore-bikesisgrowingglobally,theregionalrealitiesofaccessto,perceptionof,anduseofe-bikesdifferconsiderably.Classificationandregulationofe-bikesalsovariesfromcountrytocountry(and,insomecases,withincountries),whichheavilyinfluenceshowe-bikesareproducedandsold(seeAppendixIformore).

Thereisalsoawiderangeofcontextsthatcitiesandcountriesareexperiencingwithregardstoe-bikeuse.Nascentmarkets,likeIndonesia,Rwanda,andSouthAfrica,haveaverysmall

marketshareofe-bikes.16Insomenascentmarkets,e-bikesmaybeprimarilyusedbyrec-

reationalcyclists,forexample,peopleusinge-mountainbikes.InSouthAfrica,mostofthe

demandfore-bikescomesfromwealthymountainbikeriderspurchasinghigh-ende-bikestorideontrails,notforeverydaytransportation.17Insuchplaces,acleardefinitionandclassifi-cationfore-bikesmaynotbeavailablebecausesupplyanduseissolimited.

ICEtwo-wheelersarepopularacross Indonesia,which haslimitedtheuptakeofe-bikes. SOURCE:ITDPIndonesia

FosteringE-bikesinIndonesia,aNascentMarket

MosttripsinJakartaandothermajorcitiesinIndonesiaarecompletedusingICE

two-wheelers.Cheaperandeasiertomaneuverandparkthanprivatecars,ICE

two-wheelersdominatestreets,causingtrafficcongestion,airandnoisepollution,androadsafetychallenges.Thee-bikemarketinIndonesiaisverynascent,however

politicalwillexistsfortransportelectrificationbroadly--thepresidentofIndonesiaisinterestedinacceleratingelectrificationandsupportseffortslikefinancialincentivestopurchaseelectrictwo-wheelersandelectriccars.

In2021,theIndonesianMinistryofTransportation(MoT)soughttoregulatemicromobil-ityinthecountry,implementingaregulation(PM45-2020)toaddressthegapbetweenexistingregulationsandthenewmicromobilityproductsonthemarket.However,theregulationhasbeenpoorlyenforced,andsafetyissueshaveoccurredwhentwo-wheel-erusersencroachinbicyclelanesdesignedforlowspeede-bikesandconventional

bicycles.Further,circumventingtheregulationbymodifyinglower-speede-bikesto

increasemaximumspeedsfrom25kphtoupto40kph,makingthemincompatiblewithconventionalbicycles,iscommon.

TheMoThasnotreleasedacleardefinitionofe-bikes,andhowtheydifferfromelectric(andICE)two-wheelers.Becausethee-bikemarketissonew,supplyislimited,anditismoreexpensivetopurchaseane-bikecomparedtoanICEtwo-wheelerduetothe

maturemarketforICEtwo-wheelers.Thishaslimiteduptakeofe-bikesinIndonesia.

Thegovernmentsubsidizeselectrictwo-wheelersandelectriccars,butnote-bikes.Thismakesitmorechallengingtopurchaseane-bikecomparedtootherelectricvehicles.

InseveralmajorIndonesiancitiesincludingJakarta,Semarang,andSurabaya,bikeshareoperatorshaveexpressedinterestinprovidinglow-speede-bikesaspartoftheirfleets.Thisisanimportantstepinbuildingpublicawarenessarounde-bikesandthetypesoftripstheycanservice.Clearclassificationofe-bikesandtheirabilitytosafelyusecyclelaneswillbeimportanttosupportandgrowshared—aswellaspersonal—e-bikeuse.

Inemerginge-bikemarketslikeBrazilandtheUnitedStates,wherethesupplyofe-bikesis

largeranduseismoreprevalentthaninnascentmarkets,unclearclassificationsfore-bikes

canposesignificantchallengesforregulators,retailers,andusers.Inthesecases,unclear

classificationcaninhibitgrowthofthee-bikeindustrybycreatingconfusion,especiallyamongpotentialusers.E-bikeusersmaybeunsurewhethertheyneedalicense,registration,andin-surancetooperateane-bike,andaboutwhereonthestreete-bikescanberidden.

10

16ITDPIndonesia,(May17,2023),videointerviewbyauthor;BenjaminHategekimana(ITDPAfrica),(June1,2023),videointerviewbyauthor;MichaelLinke,(May2,2023),videointerviewbyauthor.

17MichaelLinke.(May2,2023).Videointerviewbyauthor.

11

Beforearecent

CreatingClarityinBrazil,anEmergingMarket

regulationwasadoptedinBrazil, alackofclarityaboutwhatcan

Inrecentyears,themarketformicromobilitymodeshasgrowninBrazil,withalargerangeofnewvehicletypesbecomingavailable.Anarrayofe-bikes,e-scooters,andelectrictwo-wheelerswerebeingimportedandsoldwithoutadequatevehicleclassi-

becategorized

ficationsandapprovals.Someretailersmisrepresentede-mopedstocustomers,tell-

asane-bikeled

tomopedsusingcyclelanes,

ingthemthevehiclestheywerebuyingwerelegaltouseincyclelanesandwouldnotrequirealicenseorregistrationtouse.Thiscontributedtoadiversearrayofelectric

causingconflicts

two-wheelers,includinghigher-speede-mopeds,usingcyclelanesandcausingfrequent

withlowerspeed

e-bikeandpedalbicycleriders.

conflictswithpedalcyclistsandpedestrians.

SOURCE:ITDP

Eventransportationauthoritiesandpolicewerenotwell-informedaboutthedifferenc-

Brazil

esandwhetherthesenewvehicleswerelegallyallowedtocirculateincyclelanes.18Thiseventuallyledtothebroadapprehensionofe-mopeds,e-motorcycles,ande-bikesinS?oPauloandRiodeJaneirobecausetheywerecirculatingwithoutlicenseplatesandusersdidnothavedriver’slicenses.InthecityofS?oPaulo,policeapprehended100

electrictwo-wheelersinthefirstfourmonthsof2022.19

Thislackoflegalclarityledcyclinginterestgroupstoadvocateforanewnationallawthatclassifiede-bikesseparatelyfromhigher-speede-mopeds.ThislawwasmeanttoaddressthelargearrayofnewvehicletypesthatwerealreadycirculatinginBraziliancitiesandtofacilitateregistrationandlicensingforhigher-speedvehicleswithlocal

trafficauthorities.ThenewregulationwasimplementedinJuly2023,anditupdatedtheclassificationofe-motorcyclesande-bikes.E-bikesnowhavethesameregistration

requirementsandrightstostreetinfrastructureasbicycles,mustbepedal-assistwithamaximumspeedof32kph(previously25kph),andhaveamotorpowerof350wattsto1,000watts.

Thenewlawaimstoprovideclarityforauthoritiesandconsumers.Notably,thelaw

addressesthedifferencebetweenvehiclemaximumspeedsandlocalspeedlimits.Ac-cordingtoBrazilianlegislation,localtrafficauthorities,notfederallegislation,definespeedlimits.Therefore,theincreased32kphmaximumspeedappliestothevehicle’scapabilityandnottothespeedlimitonthestreetwherethevehicleisbeingridden.

Despiteattemptsatclarity,thenewlegislationhasfacedsomecriticism,particularly

forpermittingmoderatespeedsfore-bikes(32kph)andallowingsmalle-mopedsintheself-propelledcategorytocirculateonsidewalks(upto6kph)unlessprohibitedbylocalauthorities.20

18DanielGuth(Alian?aBike).(June1,2023).Videointerviewbyauthor.

19WilliamCardoso.(May20,2022).

Motoselétricass?oapreendidasemblitzeeproibidasnascicloviasdeS?oPaulo

.

20MarcosdeSouza.(June26,2023).

32km/hn?oédemaisparaumabikenacidade?

12

E-cargocycles

builttocarry additionalpassengerscan substituteforcars.

Source:Waltarrrrr,flickr

ThreeClassesofE-bikesintheUnitedStates,anEmergingMarket

IntheUnitedStates,afederaldefinitionadoptedin2002statesthatanelectricbicycleisa“two-orthree-wheeledvehiclewithfullyoperablepedalsandanelectricmotoroflessthan750watts,whosemaximumspeed…islessthan20mph[32kph]”(

2002Public

Law107-310

).Thisdefinitiondoesnotspecifywhereontheroade-bikesarepermitted,sincestatelawstypicallygovernrulesoftheroad.Therefore,individualstatemotor

vehiclecodesmustdefinee-bikesandidentifywhereandhowtheycanbeused.

Thevastmajority(48of50)ofstatemotorvehiclecodesuseamoredetailedthree-

classdefinitionbasedonspeedandhowtheelectricassistisdeliveredtoidentify

whichtypesofe-bikesarepermittedtousebicycleinfrastructure.Allthreeclasses

areconsideredbicyclesanddonotrequirealicenseorregistration.Class1andClass2e-bikeshaveamaximumspeedof20mph,whileClass3e-bikescanreach28mph

(45kph).Class2e-bikeshaveathrottle,whileClass1andClass3areonlypedal-assist.Thetwostatesthatdonotusethethree-classsystem,AlaskaandRhodeIsland,definee-bikesmorecloselytothatofamotorizedvehiclethanabicycle,whichcanmeana

license,insurance,andregistrationarerequired.

Finally,ChinaandcountriesintheEuropeanUnion(suchasGermany,Switzerland,andSweden)havedevelopede-bikemarkets.Inthesemarkets,supplyandaccesstoe-bikesiswidespreadandtheyhaveacleardefinitioninvehicleregulations.IntheEU,e-bikesaredefinedasex-

clusivelypedal-assist,withpowercuttingoutat25kph.21InChina,e-bikescanbeeitherped-al-assistorthrottle-powered,withamaximumspeedof25kph,andtheymusthaveoperablepedals.22

21AssociationFran?aisedeNormalisation.(January2009).

Cycles—ElectricallyPowerAssisted