Welcome to GoPedelec.org - promoting:
Equal active mobility for everyone!
The better safety concept for cycling: Legal, safe and securing the cycle character. Acceleration limit based not Power limited based - suites all kinds of pedelec and is non discriminatory!
European Union in danger to abruptly end the inclusive Pedelec mobility evolution!
Despite the fact, that the EU has defined in the European Declaration on Cycling: „Promote social inclusion, enable better access to cycling for people with disabilities or with reduced mobility, boost active mobility of older people,…“.
Today millions of europeans enjoy the freedom of riding modern pedelecs, which allow easy commute, carrying children, hauling cargo and enjoying leisure.
Young and old citizen's enjoy cycling together since the assistance does equalize the physical capabilities against the headwind or going up a hill - delivering endurance for people of all ages and physical capabilities.
Companies have developed great bikes for people with special needs to allow inklusive pedelec mobility for everyone.
Innovations of better and better drive systems are supporting the goals of the EU cycling declaration even better from day to day. But - Black clouds are on the horizon:
A absolute max power limitation of 600-750 w - since January 2024 is pushed by some stakeholders in Europe heavily. With the argumentation, that a „arms race“ by the pedelec makers and drive system must be stopped.
All stakeholders do agree, that they do not want to question the privilege of the pedelec to be legally equal to the mechanical cycle. But there are quite different ideas how regulations should be.
How to enable the full potential of the pedelec without harming the cycle character?
The range of positions goes from - let's have everything below 20 miles/32 km/h max speed even it is technically a motorcycle like product to be legalized equal to a cycle on the one hand. For sure this will not allow this product to be equal to a cycle which is free of any age limit, any insurance and helmet requirement.
Within the EU Project GoPedelec which was driven by the EU Cities Utrecht/NL, Stuttgart/DE, Graz/AT, Miskolc/HU, Napoli/IT and the partners University of Stuttgart/DE, ExtraEnergy/DE as well as EKOLO/CZ. The potential solution was drafted and published as "dream legislation" within the GoPedelec Handbook published in 7 Languages in 2012: http://extraenergy.org/main.php?language=en&category=&subcateg=&id=29837
To the position as it was stated in the 2012 GoPedelec Handbook. To strengthen the cycle character of a pedelec it should become redefined by limiting the acceleration as well as after reaching 15 km/h have a strict Pedalpower input based max speed - equal to a road bike pedaled on a flat and slick road.
Proposal of 2012 still the best available safety concept to secure cycle character and safety at any times - allow for pedelecs a higher safety level as mechanical cycles can ever provide it:
In the GoPedelec EU Project 2012 the best proposal which would make any pedelec safe under all conditions was already presented as alternative to the current safety concept of power limitation - which as well with the 600 w upper absolute power limit can not deliver the safety as the authors of it suggest!
The acceleration based safety concept which was as well is fully supported by the EU insurance industry for good reasons.
Following physics where max power does not bring any threat only the product of power and vehicle weight does: The resulting acceleration and absolute speed have safety implications. So the acceleration and the speed should be the only limited items. Which would even boost the safety due to less differential speeds for heavy bikes like the pictured vanraam pedelec with for 4 people. Which today is tough to impossible to ride it up a hill - due to the already existing power based safety concept limitations.
With the proposed absolute 600 Watt limit per pedelec it would be impossible at all. Only single person pedelecs with no relevant cargo capacity and limited hill climbing capability would be left. The earlier cited targets of the EU cycling declaration are obsolete if this 600 w limitation would turn to a legal obligation as proposed by some stakeholders.
That is why an Initiative recently formed by consumer organizations, industry players, intergovernmental organizations, vehicle makers and others try to join forces, to lobby for the targets of the EU cycling declaration and a improvement of the legal framework within the EU as well mit term within the UN - where the definition of the cycle within the Vienna agreement of road transport would need an update after 56 years it is about time for that!
If you are a consumer who wants to keep the cycle character of the pedelec, a handicapped peoples NGO, a vehicle or drive train maker which wants to make better product which serves every citizen equal. Please sign up to the list and get invited to further actions and proposals how you can become part of a movement to not stopp equal active mobility options for everyone!
If you want to become part of a movement to keep the pedelec legally equal to cycles - free of age limits, driver license, insurance, helmet...
Electric Cycling an evolution
1897
Many patents have been field on the subject of electric cycles in the 1880s and 1890s. Even tough at that time only very few bikes have been build. Mostly they have been used as pacemakers for cycle track races to save on labour costs for the many people on a pace maker sixdem or so - just for training a single person.
140 years of evolution...
1880-2012
within the GoPedelec Handbook published 2012 a comparison was made between the evolution of the phone and the evolution of the electric cycle. The key moment of transition was for the phone to go cordless... for the electric cycle it was the control of the electric assist by the muscle power of the rider as patented first by Egon Gelhard 1982 and turned into reality by Michael Kutter 1990.
The definition of road vehicles...
1968
They totally "forgot" to ad the Pedelec in the cycle definition.
Ok at that time it was not invented jet...
https://unece.org/DAM/trans/conventn/crt1968e.pdf
An update is overdue, but still not in sight, at the 2017 G7 Traffic minister meeting EnergyBus has had a talk with EU Traffic commissioner Mrs. Violetta Bulc on that subject.
But the topic was not jet urgent enough... and her active role has ended soon after.
It will need some more lobbying to place this theme high on the priority List of the EU Commission and other governments around the world. This is one of the targets of the GoPedelec Initiative - which once on 2012 already published its handbook. Free download available here:
First EU State legalized the Pedelec as cycle
1994
German Minister of transport Mr. Wissmann has agreed to Mr. Bredel of Yoker to legalize his company's product as a cycle with the 250 W power limited safety concept legally equal to a cycle. Power limitation has been picked randomly based on the output of one of the engineers human power output measured on cycle trainer - and the availability of 24V DC electric engines which by accident have had 250 W nominal rated power output. So this value can be considered as a lucky number which has made it by accident into the legal frame work created within a few weeks after and published by the Ministry of transportation in Germany. On the left in the picture Mrs Nolte Minister for Family affairs of Germany - she supported the request of Mr. Bredel to allow legalize the pedelec - since it would support Parents to carry their kids in hilly areas to the kindergarten by cycle.
