Australian Wholesalers Want Faster eBikes

By Phil Latz | 30th July 2020 |

21% of the Australian wholesalers surveyed said they wanted 45kph Speed Pedelecs allowed here, like this Stromer from Switzerland which has strong market following in Europe.

A survey of 55 Australian wholesalers who sell ebikes found that 73% of them would like our legislation changed to increase the maximum speed of power assistance from the current 25kph to 32kph.

Bicycle Industries Australia (BIA) conducted a three question survey of wholesalers.

In answer to the first question as to what their preferred maximum speed assist was, only 6% wanted it kept at the current 25kph. 73% wanted it increased to 32kph which is similar to current regulations for standard ebikes New Zealand, the USA and other countries.

The remaining 21% wanted 45kph, which is the European ‘speed pedelec’ assist limit. In Europe speed pedelecs must comply with tougher design standards. Rules vary between countries, but riders generally need a driver’s licence, motorcycle helmet and other requirements. In Europe speed pedelecs have a very small market share compared to standard 25kph pedelecs.

When asked what their preferred continuous rated power output was, 43% preferred the current standard of 250 watts, 25% preferred 300 watts, 19% preferred 450 watts, 12 % preferred 750 watts and 1% said ‘other’.

The wholesalers were also asked if they wanted the current 200 watt throttle ebike standard retained. This currently is in place in parallel to the 250 watt pedelec standard.

54% said Yes, 42% said no, 4% said ‘other’ – that it should be speed limited to 20kph.