Cycling in Melbourne Australia

Ebikes - No Sweat!

The Australian Bicycle Council (http://www.austroads.com.au/abc/) has a project to lift the current limit of 200 watts to 300 watts maximum power output. This is shortsighted given that Canada is now at 500watts and the US is at 1000 watts.

The 200 watt limit was established in the 1970's as an Australian Design rule. It was based on the maximum power a fit male could generate, thus a bike with auxilary power could not exceed this.

Give the advances in bicycles (Pro bike riders can generate up to 800+ watts in short bursts),electric motors, the sophisticated motor control mechanisms (the harder you pedal the less assistance) and battery developments, it is time to revisit this 30+ year old restriction and ensure that it is reviewed in accordance with today's environmental, transport and recreational needs.

The following is a synopsis of an Interview on Radio National with Associate Professor Geoffrey Rose, Head, Institute of Transport Studies, Monash University

If you're serious about reducing your carbon emissions and your fuel bill, look no further than the e-bike. It combines pedal-power with a small, efficient electric motor and a battery that can be recharged at the end of the day. They're a must for people who would be unable to undertake long trips on a run-of-the-mill bicycle. The problem is that our legislators can't work how electric bikes should be classified. And so if you use one on the road you risk getting slapped with a traffic fine for riding an unregistered motor vehicle.

The interview is available here

http://www.abc.net.au/rn/nationalinterest/stories/2008/2307809.htm

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Permalink Reply by Anne Jovi on July 22, 2008 at 3:28pm: There's a bloke I often see on my commute (moorabbin - seaford, seaford - moorabbin) in the afternoons that ride's one. He's a bit of gizmo guru and has his souped up to 1000w. He commutes daily Langwarrin to Moorabbin airport return on one charge and can zoom along at 50km/h no problem.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Alan Parker on July 24, 2008 at 12:59pm: Australians cannot buy the safest power assisted electric bicycle: the “Pedelec”

By Alan A . Parker

Introduction.

The Japanese power assisted bicycle industry invented a revolutionary, prototype of a pedal/electric hybrid bicycle in 1993. After several year of detail design it evolved into numerous models of an energy efficient light electric bicycle weighing between 18 kg and 25 kg that are now being sold in over 30 countries but not in Australia. The electric power assistance is controlled automatically by a computer chip, like its four wheeled big brother the petrol/electric hybrid car. This hybrid two wheeler is known as a PEDELEC and it is important to distinguish it from the throttle controlled E-BIKE which also comes in numerous models made in several countries which looks very similar to the Pedelec male and female and fold up models. Both the Pedelecs and the better E-Bikes have similar riding characteristics to that of a geared bicycle but are a few kg heavier. The mini E-SCOOTER is often referred to as an electric bicycle, however it does not look like or ride like a bicycle and is much heavier.. Note that the names used of the three main types of electric bicycle in this summary and the full paper are in CAPITALS in this paragraph.

The E-scooter it is almost solely powered by a more powerful electric motor and larger batteries, and is throttle controlled. It is usually fitted with perfunctory pedals which are often removable or too short, to conform with road regulations. Most E-scooters have a fixed and very low saddle so that riders do not have an ergonomically optimum position for pedalling but they have a place to rest the riders feet like a petrol powered motor scooter. In 2007 very few E-Scooters were being produced in Japan and China due to regulatory constraints but millions of them are stlll used in China and some of the early models of E-Scooters have been sold in Australia as bicycles. The E-scooter is not the main concern of this paper as it likely to legally de-classified as a bicycle. World wide total of 22 million pedelecs, E-Bikes and E-scooters where manufactured in 2007.

Australian policy makers are wrestling with developing new road rules and regulations for electric bikes. They have little information about the three types of electric bikes, who uses them, why they are used, and what factors influence electric bike travel. They have no knowledge of the use of Pedelecs because they have not been imported due to obsolete regulations that do not allow Pedelecs with 205 to 250 watts power output to be classed as bicycles.This is why no Pedelec testing program has taken place. Indeed, only one serious test has been made on an E-bike.

The paper compares the evolution and future potential of electric bike industry in China and Japan so as to learn from their experience, which is valuable for assessing the potential benefits of encouraging the use of the Pedelec and E-bike in Australia. Since 1995 Japan has manufactured Pedelecs that conform to Japans safety standards, road regulations and product testing requirements.

At present the use of the Pedelec, the lightest and safest electric bicycle, is banned by Australia's obsolete regulations which prevent the import of Pedelecs from Australia's major trading partners, Japan and China. The Pedelec, was invented 9 years before the Australian road rules were published and in 2008 many transport regulators are stillvenot aware of its existence even though millions of them had been produced. Even so Pedelecs need to be legally classified as bicycles and not required to be registered, licensed or subject to compulsory insurance. All that is required is for importers provide evidence to the regulatory agencies that their models of Pedelec have gone through the Japanese testing and approval process and comply with new battery safety standards when they are approved by Japanese Chinese and European regulators. Failing to do this is a denial of the consumer’s right to buy the best available technology and a restriction of free trade.

This article proposes action by Australian government bodies to enable Pedelecs and E-bikes to be used so as to reduce carbon emissions, air pollution and enhance the mobiliy of the elderly and the partially disabled. Those concerned with the twin threats of global warming and peak oil need to know that the next advance in the design of Pedelecs is on its way. Experimental Pedelecs charged from roof mounted solar cells and PV batteries can enhance mobility with minimum resource depletion. Surplus solar power can; ▶ Reply to This