00:038 in 10 Brits, according to some research that we've done with YouGov, can't tell the difference
00:08between a safe and legal e-bike from an unsafe and illegal one.
00:12And so that's leading to confusion, and it's leading people to buy the wrong products.
00:17A new safety mark for electric bikes has been launched, after research found confusion among
00:23the public about which models meet UK road requirements.
00:26The scheme, called E-Bike Positive, is designed to help consumers choose e-bikes that follow the rules.
00:34So this is about differentiating what are safe and legal e-bikes from the unsafe and illegal
00:42products that are being put on the market, in particular by the online marketplaces.
00:46Under UK law, e-bikes must meet certain requirements to be used as road legal models.
00:52These include the motor only working when the rider is pedalling, and the assistance cutting
00:58out when the bike reaches 15.5 miles per hour.
01:01The polling found that awareness of the speed limit requirement was low, with 16% of people
01:07surveyed knowing about it.
01:09This is being seized because it's not an EAPC, quite simple.
01:14There's the throttle, and that is showing me that it's 62 kilometers an hour.
01:21So the way that this bike is being powered and ridden around is like this, quite simply.
01:26It's staying 61, 62 kilometers an hour.
01:28It won't be that fast.
01:30It'll probably, with a bit of weight on it and movement, you're probably talking over 30
01:34miles an hour, 25, 30 miles an hour.
01:37But clearly well over 15 and a half.
01:39So we know that this is going to be illegal.
01:42The e-bike positive mark has been created by the Bicycle Association and the Association
01:47of Cycle Traders.
01:49The scheme covers 33 brands, representing more than 600 stores, including major retailers
01:55and independent bike shops.
01:57The organizations behind the scheme say the aim is to make it easier for customers to buy
02:02safe and legal e-bikes.
02:04The e-bike positive mark will now be used by participating suppliers that have had their
02:09policies and procedures independently verified.
02:12We produce around 150,000 fully road legal, fully safety tested e-bikes every year.
02:17But our industry is being massively undercut and undermined by the presence of illegal e-bikes,
02:23modified, easily tampered with cycles which they're not legal to use on the road, and they
02:29do cause injuries, and that brings the whole e-bike category into disrepute.
02:34There's been a lot of negative media narrative around e-bikes, and actually e-bikes are a
02:38really positive way of getting around.
02:40They're green, they ease congestion in our cities.
02:43What e-bike positive is there to do is to reassure riders that they're riding safe product,
02:48and that media narrative generally relates to unsafe, non-compliant product that's often
02:54been bought from online marketplaces.
02:56Fire brigade figures obtained by the press association show e-bike and e-scooter fires
03:02in the UK reached a record high last year.
03:05These fires are often caused by the failure of batteries, conversion kits, or chargers.
03:11Products bought from online marketplaces have been found to be at greater risk of malfunctioning
03:17than those sold by established retailers, because they are not subject to the same level of
03:22regulation. Although the use of private e-scooters in public places is banned nationwide, they
03:28continue to be ridden illegally in many urban areas. Consumer Champion, which, has warned
03:34unsafe products are increasingly saturating online marketplaces, which undercut responsible
03:40businesses that comply with the law.
03:42In April, the government launched a consultation aimed at improving product safety in the UK.
03:48Under the proposals, online marketplaces would be legally required to prevent, identify, and
03:54remove dangerous products being sold via their platforms.
03:58The road safety charity, Break, says small electric vehicles can play a role in a safer and more
04:04sustainable mixed transport system. However, the charity also emphasises that we need to work
04:10out the combination of scooter design, regulation-slash-legislation, and road design that is needed to
04:17maximise the benefits and minimise the potential for harm from these new technologies.
04:24Like any product, two things need to be true. You need to trust the product itself, and you need to
04:29trust
04:29who you're buying it from. And so that's what e-bike positive innate.
04:33We would really like the government to fully endorse this campaign and really use their resources to
04:39direct anyone who's thinking of buying an e-bike to a safe and legal e-bike. We also think there's
04:43things they can do to start addressing the illegal e-bikes. They need to tighten up controls at the
04:49borders, maybe make it illegal to sell some of these non-legal e-bikes, and perhaps also there's
04:55something they could do about the way the gig economy works, which drives a lot of people to use some
04:59of
04:59these not-legal e-bikes. The UK government website offers resources and advice around the safe purchasing,
05:06use and charging of e-bikes and e-scooters. This can be found on GOV.UK.
05:13You
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