In 2022, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a letter urging more than 2,000 EBIKES manufacturers and importers to review relevant safety standards and ensure that their products comply with them.
“It is expected to set mandatory federal standards for lithium-ion battery safety, but the agency is currently stagnant as the Trump administration is reviewing new regulations,” Lovell said.
Currently, e-bike certification is only required in New York City and Hoboken, New Jersey. “Peopleforbikes advocates for model legislation produced by the bicycle industry that accepts UL standards and EN standards for lithium-ion batteries and electronic systems,” Lovell said. The model legislation is New York and California law and will soon be in Illinois.
To find out if the Ebike you are following is third-party certified, look for stickers on the frame or battery that contain information about its compliance.
What is the DIN standard?
Photo: Adrienne
Cargo bikes carry heavy loads – Cade, groceries, construction supplies and other things that might be dragged on two to three wheels. As a result, the brakes and other components of the cargo bike can be safely stopped and require additional scrutiny.
In 2020, the German Institute of Standardization (DIN) developed the “DIN” standard to solve this problem. The result is DIN 79010, “the first standard for testing methods and safety requirements for electric and non-electric cargo bikes,” said Lovell, adding that both single-track (two-wheel) and multi-track (three-wheel or more) bikes cover general cargo and/or passenger coverage in that standard.
“Although DIN 79010 is mandatory in Europe, the United States has no plans to use it as a mandatory standard in the near future,” Lovell said. But many freight companies, such as Tern, voluntarily comply with the standard.
How will tariffs affect my purchases?
If you are looking for an ebike, we recommend you buy now, reach a final deal between the United States and China, as well as other countries such as Vietnam, Taiwan and Cambodia.
“At present, we are all waiting to see the final form of mutual tariffs,” said Matt Moore, general policy consultant at Peopleforbikes. “Most e-bikes are imported from China and now stacking tariff rates totaling up to 55%.
Moore warned that very high tariffs would force prices to rise sharply throughout the supply chain and ended with a digital manual for consumers. Continuous high tariffs will lead to permanent higher prices, reducing affordability and consumer demand.
“Small companies will not be able to manage these additional expenses and some may go bankrupt,” Moore said. “Because e-bikes have been driving growth in our competitive industry, overall unit demand has been declining over the past few years, the higher costs and prices due to tariffs have a potential to be an existential crisis.”
