What do we think? Should the UK allow a 500w motor? 🤔

500w does not mean you need a bigger battery or a heavier bike than a lot of bikes that are already on the market. Stop repeating this as it is not true. This is a myth created by people that dont understand what they're talking about. My rad bike which is already big and heavy and has a fairly large battery also hs a 500w motor that is limited to uk rules 250w. It is the exact same motor, and im sure lots of other hub bikes out there are the same.

It's 500W in Canada and it is treated the same as a regular bike with the exception that you have to be over 16, at least in my province, and you have to wear a helmet.

just fyi i have a 750watt bbs02 on Luna Cycles Folder , with a tiny 4 lbs battery under the seat . So 500watts does not require a bigger batt unless you are going a long way or up many hills .

More power doesn't necessarily mean higher top speeds. Speed cam syill.be regulated to 25kph, but the power cam still remain at high 500w. The more power should be directed towards torque increase.

Most people are already using more power and throttles Just look at any just eat rider.

I got my first ebike in 2012, on the Cycle to Work scheme from a large UK supplier...a Fast4ward Peak..it had a throttle! The law changed in 2016 to disallow them, stupidly, when you can go faster on a regular bike. The throttle was handy when going home from work after a hard shift or your legs were tired out going up that last hill (also a reason for 500w, helps on hills, or if a heavier rider). Wouldn't necessarily need a bigger battery, you wouldn't be using 500w all the time once rolling. Might be a slightly shorter range with the same battery. Other countries allow higher wattage, more speed (20mph would be better to keep up with traffic in 20 zones), and throttles. It's not actually a throttle, it's a potentiometer, a throttle works on a carburettor. About time that we caught up with other countries, same for e-scooters. Nice hair today Eilis. :-)

I live in the US in an area with large hills. I am a Veteran that was injured in combat and have a damaged knee and foot. I was not even supposed to be able to walk without a device and brace. I spent years trying to rehabilitate myself. I can walk okay on pavement and flat level ground. I can ride a bike okay on level paths and small slight hills but I cannot put heavy pressure on my knee and go places where others can. I should say not for very long. I am over 6 foot tall and almost 300 lbs. I am built like a football lineman. I am of Scandinavian descent and all of my family are large framed. I converted an old heavy framed MTB into an E Bike. I had to custom build it to get the specs I needed to assist me in pedaling uphill. I ride an 18 inch frame with 29 inch wheels. It is a heavy built Chromoly alloy frame meant for abuse. I built it with a 2000 watt rear direct drive hub motor. It has a twist throttle function and a large 72 v battery pack and controller. I normally leave it in pedal assist 1 or not at all on flat bike trails. If I am riding in town on city streets I leave it in P1 and use the throttle assist to quickly move me out and through intersections for safety. If I come up to a large steep hill I can bump up the pedal assist or use the throttle until I get over the hill. I cannot walk up or push the bike up the hill sometimes because of my injuries. A common E bike on the market with a 500 watt hub motor is not enough to meet my needs. If they can limit my power specs it would not be fair or equal to restrict my needs and slot me into the specs of someone who weighs 176 lbs and rides on level pavement.

250watt is simply not powerful enough for hills, 500 and 750 watts ebikes are in abundance in the uk ive had mine over a year and love it, im in my 60s driven a car for 40+ years and now ride my e bike to places i used to take the car, so we should just be left alone to enjoy the great riding experience, and of course saving the planet!

I'd love a throttle, I'm now disabled but love my electric bike, a throttle would be a great addition when I'm tired.

As an electronic engineer, I have to disagree with the assertion that higher power automatically requires a larger battery. The same battery could be used but would last a shorter time, and it wouldn't be half the time - as you pointed out, the motor isn't producing its maximum power output all the time, but rather as required when accelerating or ascending inclines. Many 250W eBike motors are already capable of producing considerably more than 250W but are restricted in software to meet legal standards. In practice, the maximum assisted speed is, I find, a far greater issue. Our 25kph cap limits the usefulness of pedal assist. Having ridden in America, I found their 20mph to be a lot more practical. But that's a whole different debate..

Look I cycle a electric bike at 15mph and a guy on a ordinary bike passed me no bother! Over a long distance I can win, but 15 mph is to slow! 20mph is the perfect speed! And a 250 watt bike struggles to get my 100kg weight up a hill ! I wish I had just bought a 500 watt bike! Other countries it's legal for a 500 watt bike but bloody typical uk nanny state uk no!

Yes at 15st I need more power to get up hills 250w just doesn't do it.

They sell cars that make 1000 hp and top speeds of 200mph+ and they also sell cars that are only 150hp and 150mph. They both have to follow speed limits. Ebikes should just have top speed limits, 28mph and need to wear helmet and be over 16-18 years old.

We don't need more power, we need more torque to get up steeper hills..

I hope my friends across the pond get more power for their ebikes. I love my 500w and 750w motor ebikes - the power, speed, and range is amazing. The US uses the three-class system for e-bikes which makes a lot of sense - granted there is some confusion with class 3 (throttle vs not). That classification is mostly at the state level with some federal agencies also adopting the terms. The main issue is there isn't a uniform code - so e-bike users are either blissfully unaware of the specific laws that apply or they have to figure out the jurisdiction of where they are riding - perhaps multiple for longer trails. It's a bit of a mess. So, while we have access to higher powered e-bikes, there are many places we can't ride them.

I really like the throttle for going from a complete stop to getting out of the drivers way at the intersection is so much safer with a little twist and pedaling. The throttle use stabilizes the rider from wobbles as well. Its nice to have that stop to go acceleration in the name of safety, so the cars are not waiting and being upset with a rider, but also the rider is not struggling. Having that throttle to be smooth on take off is nice. The throttle also is very nice to have when going through busy, slow parking lots. By standing tall on pedals allows me to see over most cars and to be seen is significant, compared to just pedaling. Plus I am stable on the bike. I'm used to heavy motorcycles, so having a 60lb bike is so nice and easy. Fingers on the brakes and using the throttle, stable and able to stop on a dime. I have mastered the safest way to navigate a busy parking lot, like getting in and out of trader Joes just fine with all those cars about, the throttle twist, head on a swivel. Standing and pedaling is difficult but standing, not pedaling and using the throttle is all about control, balance, and being reactive at slow speeds. Its all about safety, and once a person learns to use a throttle the advantages are seen. Here in the states I have a class 2 ebike, top speed 20mph, 750w hub motor and a bike weight of 60lbs. Its just fast enough to stay out of the way of cars and trucks. But its slower than the slowest gas moped or motorbike.

The Bosch Performance Line Speed motor used on the Riese & Muller Load4 75 has a nominal power usage of 250 watts, but is variable & can go as high as 600 watts. But it is speed limited to 28 mph.

Yes, at least 500W. Next question...

In Ireland they did a study that said out of fatal accidents the 20mph speed limit did not stop deaths...Just read this this morning.

Just an outside perspective from Canada where we are allowed 500w with throttle at 32km/hr max My bike is the above. I find i usually do not use above 200watts unless i'm either somewhere infrastructure is poor(the added acceleration makes you safer in traffic) or in the winter when you have insulated pants and boots on. Studded tires front and back. Then you find snow 30cm deep. When this happens 500watts is really nice. In deep snow the throttle is also really helpful to keep you upright. Pedaling through deep snow throws your balance off badly. The only other time i have used the throttle was once when i got sick at work. Went home and used the throttle the entire way (10km). I was so glad i had it as i was terribly ill. I do have one friend who does only use the throttle. Everyone teases him about being lazy, but really he goes the same speed so is no more dangerous than someone pedaling and it is another car off the road. Unless it just hurts your feelings that someone isn't pedaling really what difference does it make. We will never stop teasing him though. 😊

I'm all for changing the speed assist to 20mph, but that's mostly because the bike I bought already does that for some reason and I'd hate to have to leave earlier for work if I ever need to replace the bike.

My Magnum Peak T5 has a 500W motor with 20mph limit on throttle and pedal assist. It's a Class 2 in the USA, OK on shared pathways, and cycle lanes and paths, but we slow to 12 mph when passing pedestrians. Weighs 60lbs. I've never felt I need more than 500W. 750W is the official federal limit on eBikes, but loads of models are coming out with 1,000W or more motors and 35mph or more top speeds, and the authorities are starting to take notice of the e-motorbikes. I expect more legislation to cover this area and clamp down on unregistered and unlicensed e-motorbikes.

The speed assist needs to change to 20mph too

Another razor sharp, up to the minute exploration of the bursting future of ebikes. Cracking vid, Eilis. Pedibal? Sounds good to get people on the road away from the car. As for training, what a brilliant idea, everyone does a days training, then quick exam on road manners and signs and then people are equipped to battle with cars. Bit of insurance/licencing might be sensible too, but that is defo negotiable. Well done and thank you.

I can see the government looking for something else to tax, I don't need a bigger motor at 25kph and a 250w motor I can get around easily and faster than the average cyclists.I like my freedom to cycle with minimum intereference and cost of tax, testing, compulsary this and that. Because it moves the pedalec bicycle into the world of the moped.

To be an adequate means of transport the limit should be raised to 20mph not necessarily the max output as electric motors develop high torque from standstill keeping the vehivle light and cyle like is important as you start getting into insurance and protective equipment.

5 yrs on and I still have my Kristall E5 350W 48V, and it's incredible! It comes with a throttle and is quite speedy, capable of reaching speeds up to 26 mph. I've also recently purchased a Samebike full suspension 750W at an excellent price. The speed of both bikes was easy to unlock upon arrival. I was pedaling yesterday through Newcastle on the main road at 23 mph with a police car behind me, but they never pulled me over; they simply drove past me.

Yes ! Always a NEED for speed 😎 After watching this .. ☹️ way too restrictive over there 🤨.

I'm building a duel powered 4x4 velomobile. Limited to 25kph (15.5mph) for road use @250₩. The off-road drive system is 4x4 (4× 2000w hub motors) & will have a top (estimated) speed of somewhere between 30 to 50kph (18.6 to 31mph). It's heavy at around 150kg (330pounds), so it's not built for speed, but it is built for power. It's meant to have the ability to tow a 200kg (441 pounds) micro-camper, and meant for tough off-roading. It's a 4 wheeler, on 20x4 fat tyres, so it should have fantastic grip. All wheel independent suspension, heay duty adjustable, coil-over shocks, The front brake rotors are 180mm with hydraulic lines. Rear brake rotors are 160mm but cable activation, with parking brake. Its a 52v system, but has a separate 12v system running all lighting (2x20 inch very bright light bars, headlights, stop/tail light bar, indicators, car horn, motorcycle horn, windscreen wiper, cooling fans, rear-view camera, air compressor, and 12v, plus multiple USB ports. Being a velomobile, it's completely enclosed. The best part is, it's a scale version of the Tesla Cybertruck. It should be on the road in the next two months. I live far from any city's, so I don't expect any issues with regulations. I expect intrest and smiles as I cruise around with my pomeranian's on board.

I converted an old Mtb using a kit from EM3EV - it uses exactly the same motor as the 500w - they just adjust the current in the factory. Battery would not need to be bigger.

My 250W motor will regularly pull 700-800 Watts, it is completely legal. 250 Watt rating is for continuous output of the motor, you can exceed this if you want but risk burning out the motor. The present law is just ignored, just like scooters, there are dozens of illegal bikes for sale in UK often with the small print caveat "for use on private land only". These are often equipped with cheap batteries and are often the cause of fires. I have no problem with the throttle speed being upped to 25K, but the range will be poor.

Of course a 500w motor should be allowed (kits with much larger motors 2000w plus are readily available). A 500w motor is only nominally larger and heavier than a 250w (some 250w are a restricted larger capacity anyway) same for the battery and well within most existing bicycle’s ability to handle the power and torque. A thumb throttle is particularly useful with a hub motor especially in the instance when you’ve stopped in too high a gear and want to take off cleanly at a junction etc. You can freewheel an non electric bike downhill faster than a 500w bike would go under its own steam (about 25mph). Hopefully there will be a change but I’m not holding my breath.

500w, thumb throttle to 15.5mph, mak pedal speed 20mph, lights and bell fitted.

Electrically assisted bicycles became legal in UK after a 1981 House of Lords consultation which allowed the sec of state to make 'suitable' regulations. (which became part of 1981 RTA).This was because 14 - year olds were (are) allowed in Europe to ride limited power mopeds. This frightened the sec of state at the time so he legislated to allow only 250 Watts and pedal input compulsory (and a minimum standard of brakes) . No new legislation would be required, just a change in regulation which is done with the stroke of a pen. 250 W is no good round here in the hilly West Riding for an aged crone like myself whereas 500W really would allow an alternative to the car and unreliable public transport and a modicum of weather protection..

much as i would like the increase I doubt it will ever happen , how long have we waited on e-scooters to be legalised despite all the it's nearly here after the rental trials started .

A 70kg rider and a 120kg rider have different power requirements, a bike used for cargo too has different requires of the motor so the power of the motor should not be regulated at all. The only thing legislation should manage (and does) is to limit the speed of that electric assistance.

👍👍To the question... Yes! Surely, the % of more weight (500-watt motor 20Ah battery ) means the gains would be within safe ( the engineering and physics ) margins?

Imagine banning any car brand just because they can go over speed limits or because of too much power. nonsense

Hmm! I was all in on 500watt motors and thought the opposition specious, but now I have a new perspective informed by ebike experts. I still support the larger motors (I’m 1900mm tall, weigh 90kg) but see the issues now. Thank you.

I lost my drivers licence 13 years ago because of peripheral vision limitations and had to take up cycling to commute. I am now 66 and have bad knees. A more powerful e bike would be a great help. I don't want to cycle fast. I use an e bike limited to 15mph but a bit more power up hills would be great

250w is naff for steep hills. 500w hmmm bit better. 750w would be okay. Another point. There are so many sellers of 750w e-bikes and more. I can order right now if I want one. But not so called road legal. But what they should do is go straight to 750w. Makes life so much easy all round if they did that. Fat tire e-bikes have tad more torque then normal e-bikes. But end of the day this is a start of things. Plus these means I could buy the e-bikes I like. Instead of all the naff e-bikes.

good luck with that! i hope 1000w will be legal with accelerator, why not???

One went past me yesterday dodging through really heavy traffic I swear it was going at 40 to 50 MPH, all black and the cyclist was also clad in all black, so difficult to spot him, he overtook a line of traffic narrowly missing a car joining at a T junction then shot down to a roundabout, didn’t stop straight out hit the dual carriageway and actually accelerated ! Utter nutter

I like pedalling but I only use my throttle when starting, especially when on a hill and in the wrong gear

I have to state, 500W is never be a problem for most case. Probably some of small local company will issue with that, because they use frame for 250W level, but I bet more than 90% of Chinese ODM/OEM frame and wheel is made for 750W+ cases. So, in fact, you people and Canadians are just ride inefficient bikes that way heavier frame and wheels for 250W. It means 500W is... just capable power, but not very enough power or not an overpower for the structure of bikes. In addition, it is not only for the "moped or cargo style e bikes" but also for EMTB, because many of them are now made for Bafang Ultra(1500~2000W) or other Chinese motor with same level. The only issues are, if the builder is making their frame for 250W only, or the cases of motor(in the case of mid drive) does not apply bigger motors, but the hub motor usually don't have a problem. If you see some American guys mod their bikes with the 2000~3000W motors, you could understand. I saw some of broken cases, but it is not usually problem of frame of structures, perhaps some of parts issues. Simply? most of bike which has "Fat Tire"(20/24/26) really do not have ANY issues to use motor up to 750W~1000W, and if motor is bigger, like 2000~3000W, it could be a MINOR issues, but 500w? I'm really curious what kind of problem people though. Especially, in a stand point of manufacturer, design the frame for big motor and sell that with the many size of motor is much easier way.

They should increase the speed limit to 20 mph, remove any power limitation entirely and introduce a maximum weight limit . 20 mph would allow you to keep pace with traffic (and many normal cyclists can achieve it) A weight limit would be a better indicator of the amount of energy in the bike in an impact.

do not let them fool you, i build e-bikes and let me tell you a 500w motor is only gonna increase the weight by about 100-200g, it's nothing. you don't necessarily have to increase the battery size with a bigger motor, you could use the same battery, but for the sake of argument, let's say we increase the battery so that it could go the same range as the 250w one, the battery would be around just 300g heavier, again it's nothing. claiming that it's significantly heavier is a lie and saying it's more dangerous in crashes because it's heavier is just a scare tactic, it's total bs.

I've been riding an ebike with a 500W mid-drive motor that I put into a non-electric gravel bike. It works fine, and it's plenty strongly built to handle the motor. I use a chain rated for ebikes; the motor, cranks, chainring for an ebike; and brake levers with sensors in them. Otherwise it just has standard bike components. In my state in the USA, ebike motors are limited to *less than* 750W, and that effectively means a 500W or less motor, since there don't seem to be any motors with 650W or whatever around. No license or registration required, which is part of the appeal. 500W is needed for getting me up hills at a good speed. A heavier person would likely need 750W.

I live in Cumbria and use my ebike for getting to work and sometimes even to make deliveries from my market garden. It is perfectly legal, but it just doesn't quite cut it here. I have resigned myself to the fact that there are certain hills that I will just have to walk up. Just a very small amount of extra power would make a huge difference for me.

No definitely Not! for one main reason. I’ve got a Specialized Creo gravel bike, that is gr8, with some assist from the motor still keeping me fit. If the higher powered motors are more common (as they are more like motorbikes with pedals)new laws will be introduced enforcing All eBike owners to have to register their ebikes, have compulsory insurance & number plates & perhaps motorcycle type crash helmets. If that happens I’ll sell my ebike.

I'm in Canada with a 750watt motor with a throttle and my biggest concern is safety in the opposite direction, if I had less power I would feel less safe. I bike on the road and on sidewalks. For when I'm on the road I want to be fast enough that I don't have car drivers rear-ending me before I even hit 30k/hour. For when I'm on the sidewalk, when I cross the road I want to be able to get OUT OF THE WAY, if for some reason a car decided they wanted to hit me. If I had to comply with a law that made my motor 500 I might be able to deal with it but I don't think 250 would be sufficient? I still wholeheartedly support the maximum speed being 30km/h. But I don't see why it should be regulated before we ask for cars to be regulated in the same way. Speed limits just like our bikes, motor power limits, weight limits are all things talked about for our 20-30kg bikes, but not for cars? As for people hacking their bikes to bypass speed limits, make their motors output more power. Yea, you can also buy 5,000 watt motors online and have them shipped to you, people who are handy enough to do what we're talking about are already doing what you're suggesting, they're building electric motorcycles that go 80km/h. I don't see how giving people access to legal 500 watt motors is going to change those kinds of people.

We need more electric unicycles

Policing it... Don't make me laugh. Where I live, in a town in the north-west of England, we are plagued with maniacs on E-scooters, which are actually illegal. What do the police do? Absolutely nothing! The vast majority of policing traffic is now achieved using ANPR cameras. So, if there is no number plate, the chances of being stopped are slim to non-existent!

The above consultation was intended for cargo bikes as when fully loaded 250w isn’t always good enough

I've had just one ebike, done 10K KMs over 6 years and always enjoyed a good average speed of 26 to 27KPH, as it turns out thanks to no assist speed limit. I've just ordered a new ebike and this will finally bring me down to 25KPH max assist and I'm not really happy about that although looking forward to bigger battery capacity / longer rides. Having experienced unbridled assistance (200W or 250W, I'm not sure) for some time, I think a 32KPH / 20MPH max for assistance is a very good move. I really don't consider that 500 watts is going to bring about any safety issues and I'm sure in many cases will make getting through intersections and roundabouts a lot safer. Yes, bikes will increase in cost due to needing to be a bit stronger, but there's nothing stopping them from offering cheaper, 250 watt variants if the market still demands them. To sum up, I think it's a good move but please combine it with max assist speed increase to 20MPH / 32KPH.

Totally caught “Queen”! Nice detail ;)

0:12 HAH! , the editing 😂😂😂

A bigger motor doesn’t need a bigger battery. A 50 cc motorcycle which puts out around 2.5 kW typically has a 3 litre tank. A large capacity motorcycle which puts out 70 to 80kW would have a tank holding around 15 litres, and this mostly reflects the average speed differential and journey distance between fills. If power output determined the tank capacity, you would expect to see a tank size in the region of 60 litres or more. So the battery size of 500w ebike can stay exactly the same, unless the rider wants to go further per charge.

Maybe separate rules for cargo and regular e-bikes? Cargo up to 500W and regular bikes a more modest bump to 350W?

Great video, thanks

In total agreement with Nick Bailey (4:42). I love my unpowered bike, but am nearing 70, and want to continue riding for many more years - on a bike, not a moped.

People already are riding 500+ watt bikes as well as throttles without getting into trouble and damn they go like a bat out of hell. More wattage is definitely needed when it comes to steep inclines, my town has some huge ones and a 250w one would have some trouble. Getting the extra power for inclines would be nice, they could limit a larger wattage motor for non-incline riding.

People who hack the bike were always going to hack the bike so that, for me, is a separate issue. But when selling the bike it can be tiered the same as a car with it's engine. But they would have to include the legal bumf so the customer could make an informed decision. But I think I read that as long as it's on 15.5 mph then the argument for licenses etc is moot. But i for one would like it raised to 20mph because as already pointed out a normal bike can go faster.

Ps most of the current alleged 250 watt motors, often briefly peak between 500 & 750 watts.

Out here, in the French Alps, the great majority of mountain bikes are 500w to 750w and beyond. They’re no bigger than standard mountain bikes which are chunky anyway! There is very little difference in the motor size and weight between outputs and the brakes are more than capable! These bikes are also used on road, the police aren’t interested in nicking people for this minor infringement of the rules. As the old saying goes, “rules are made to be broken”. Thanks for the video. Best wishes, Colin.

Maximun speed is what is importamt. If you weigh 400 on a cargobike you are likly to burn out motor or battery with lower wattage. There is good engeneering and baf engenering. A fire is more likly with a small battery with overweight.

I think it could be an idea to explore using ‘Power’ capabilities to the target market…if it’s transport aimed at children for fun, leisure etc then power limits might be acceptable…as the expectation of the scooter or bike increases then so should the power…also taking into consideration whether a person has a driving licence (an already recognised knowledge of awareness and behaviours of road signs and other users) and the ages of the consumer purchasing/intending to commute with the vehicle…common sense should prevail…there’s an opportunity for cost effective/fun options for transport here let’s be sensible about it…Please..!😇

250 watts might be enough in a flat country like the Netherlands, but in Britain you are never riding on flat terrain, you are either going uphill or downhill. In the case of British roads 500 watts is adequate. As for the speed limit? You must remember that a bicycle remains efficient up to the speed of 18 mph at which point power is lost through wind resistance. The faster you go the greater the drag. Therefore a speed between 15.5 to 18 mph is perfect and the most efficient.

Personally I think 250 watts is fine as far as power goes, my biggest peeve is battery size and cost and a change in the throttle rule would be very welcome

I'd be dead, or have severe brain damage, if I hadn't had a helmet on; and that was when I wasn't using the electric. And without a throttle, I couldn't have got home, afterwards.

sooooo when are you guys going to do a review of the brekr f 250 ???

On a country road with no shoulder and NO BIKE PATH, a fast bike doing 40mph is safer than a bike doing 20mph. A bike that will go 40mph doesn’t need to go any more than what is safe for where it is being used. Set the speed limit on a sidewalk or bike path and regulate the speed of users, not the speed of the equipment.

I use my thumb accelerator on hills just gently touching it for that extra boost while pedling of course

Why not have an EU compliant 250w category and a new higher power category for use cases that need it. Clarity of rules of the road and an easy standard insurance backed by government would be great.

Legislating max motor sizes and throttles is kind of stupid when you can guy buy a car that does 180 KPH or a Tesla that goes 0-100 in 2.2 seconds. Governments are definitely looking at the wrong vehicles to reign in. Just because an ebike can accelerate faster and get a higher top speed than the wimpy ones the UK has now doesn't mean everyone is going to be careening down bike paths at 50 kph. Legislating maximums because a handful of people will abuse it is draconian in my opinion. And until they start legislating cars' top speeds and accelerating they should be leaving bikes alone.

Just build your own conversion to your own specification.

How fast can they stop?

So many videos on this channel are about the health benefits of ebikes and how they are as good as or similar to the health benefits for mechanical bikes. If throttles can be legally added, I assume you will be taking down all those videos?

Pure e scooter already has a 500w motor so its perfect for up hill and acceleration but its still restricted to 15.5mph which is fine

The current legislation smacks of being written by those who have no cycling experience. The 250 watt motor and the 4mph throttle assist are far too restrictive. It would make sense to match the American 750 watt motors. And have throttle assist to 30mph. 16mph/25kph leave you a sitting duck on many busy roads. Especially if you have a step gradient. 250 watt doesn’t cut it on the hills in the South West on an e-bike and it’s even worse on an e cargo bike. Before I ended up with metal in my left leg, I often reached speeds well in excess of 30mph. So it’s a nonsense to restrict assistance to 16mph. I can’t pedal any more and it penalises those with disabilities, to not be able to reach a safe speed on the throttle or to have enough power to climb hills safely. Those saying get a motorcycle are being ridiculous, there is a huge difference between a bike with 750 or even 1000 watt and a moped! Never mind a motorcycle. Making e-bikes and e-cargo bikes more practical will make roads safer, partly because they will be able to keep up with urban traffic but also because more e-bikes and e-cargo bikes mean less cars and vans. Less parking required and less noise and air pollution. If you then need a safety certificate to ride them, then I don’t have a problem with that. The world is changing and legislation needs to change with it.

Does motor quality Come into play too? I'm sure cargo bikes would of course benefit when hauling multiple people or lots of luggage but I'm surprised to see people in the comments say how their 250w watt motor struggles to get them up a hill, I weigh around 19 stone and ride my mountain ebike up some seriously steep hills in the forest near me, the first time I went out, I was shocked at what the motor was capable of. It is a bosch motor with 84nm of torque but 84 seems to be the norm unless you get a cheap bike from what I can tell. Personally I'd like to be able to assist up to 20mph like they have in the States, I feel that's about right for someone who commutes on both cycle paths and a bit of road riding. Obviously I'd love to be completely derestricted but need to strike a balance.

1. Going faster does increase the risk of injury. But I can do 20mph on my normal road bike unassisted and I'm not super fit. 2. Given that an average cyclist can easily achieve 20mph without assistance, the 15.5mph limit makes a mockery of the whole concept. 3. I would argue that 20mph is safer in traffic than 15.5mph. 4. The EU have been considering 20mph for a while. 5. 500 watts would be most useful for cargo bikes. Particular commercial cargo bikes that are being used for last mile deliveries. So 500 watt motors don't need to be generally available. 6. For mobility assistance a throttle would be useful.

Like with 50cc being a class of motorcycle, 250w should remain as a class of e-bike - essentially a normal rider on an ordinary bike but assisted. As the owner of an older. Legally throttle equipped bike, I think that they should be legal. Other higher powered bikes should be legal within a framework of simple bureaucracy (if possible) these can have a classification and regs as appropriate. We all know who uses them inappropriately and anyone can see them being dangerous in city centres. Make laws that deal with the issue but allow someone else to have life-changing mobility.

From the perspective of a non-electric biker, I would be concerned about putting twice the power in the hands (legs?) of e-bikers. A lot of those on Lime bikes are rookie cyclists and they don't seem to be super aware of their surroundings in my experience, riding shoulder to shoulder in passing lanes, cutting off pedestrians etc. A few bad accidents and rules might take a turn for the worst.

It should be a power to weight ratio rule. Cargo bikes and heavy riders are heavier, therefore need more power to go equal pace to low weight low power bikes.

honestly would just love for ebikes to get quicker, i'm new to ebikes and actually just ordered one on the cycle 2 work scheme. its been said before many multiple times by everyone, we all know we can pedal faster than 15.5mph, and i don't see why we'd need heavier bigger bikes to up the speed when 3rd party ebike conversion kits can essentially help you build an ebike thats quicker than 15.5 and be much much lighter. there's something missing here.

My ebike goes 35ph with no issues in the states.

The fuss made in this country is unbelievable.

For my cargo-bike, yes please! Otherwise, I’m not too bothered.

I got a nice big wheel folding bike with 500watt and I chopped it with my grinder and chucked the wheels in the bin lol.

The extra wattage allows you to clear an intersection quicker, but the total speed is still the same. I can go slower if you wanna wait behind me.

Hi UK.. watching from Canada. When Canada first legalized the "power assisted bicycle" in 2000 they had first spent two summers in different cities with lots trying different assisted bikes and concluded that 500 Watts Continuous was no different than an athlete pedaling a bike.. "bigger batteries = bigger fires".. Of course. >Which lithium chemistry?< In recent years China changed their laws - 300 Million riding assist bikes today on China roads - to Require 100% of any shared fleets to use Only "Lithium-Iron-Phosphate" cell chemistry as these last many more recharges .. still recharge to 80% original full capacity after a decade of use.. etc... and the chemistry is fairly "bomb proof" as can be punched with nails and doesn't flare up like Guy Fox fireworks. "throttles".. ... and Canada concluded there is no practical difference between pedal-assist only versus a thumb throttle. By the way... our American cousins have had 750 Watts "one horse power" for decades also? Canada gets 500 watts.. more "pony powered" .. ;) Wait `til you find out about Europe and "speed pedelecs" max. kph .. ;) Canada changed laws to encourage folks to leave their cars at home? .. It's been amusing and disturbing to read news reports "from everywhere" about assist encouraging many new to cycling to try... and some having the inevitable "too much fun". Signed - Riding 500W assist in town since the 1990s.. Cheers

The 250 watt rating of motors is misleading because it really means that the motor can 'draw' a certain amount of electrical energy without burning out, so a 750 watt rated motor could easily be run to meet a lower energy output than the safe maximum it is capable of & be within the law.

Better roads and safer storage is what we need.

did you know that any 250w ebike is in fact minimum 500w ? its almost impossible to move with 250w because that's around 5Amps and you are not going anywhere with that power The controllers are 10 to 20 amps for a 250w ebike

More power to the people!

As an American that has 750w and 50 km/h speeds available, yes, it's so much better.

Don't see the point without also increasing the speed limit to 20 mph

bigger motor does not mean bigger battery, you could in many cases just use the same. but it will impact run time. you will just end up charge more frequently