China tightens standards for electric bikes to enhance safety

China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) on Thursday released a draft standard targeting the technical safety of electric bicycles with optimizations in various aspects from improving the fire-retardant performance of bikes, and better riding protection for consumers, to preventing the illegal modification of bicycles, aiming to further improve product safety with stepped-up regulations.

Compared with the current standard, the draft standard, which is now open for public comments, has made modifications in seven aspects.

For instance, the draft tightens the fire-retardant performance requirements of key components such as non-metallic materials that directly attach to the battery. It also requires the maximum design speed to not exceed 25 kilometers per hour and tightens the requirements for braking distance.

The draft standard requires electric bikes to be equipped with BeiDou satellite positioning, while improving the level of product informatization and the ability to prevent safety risks.

China is a major producer and consumer of electric bikes, with more than 350 million units as of the end of 2023, according to the MIIT.

The modification of standards comes amid growing safety concerns about electric bikes as the market expands, including multiple fires caused by electric bikes that have led to casualties.

The sector's overall ability to ensure product quality is still weak, as many firms lack sufficient research and development capacities, and some use low-quality materials that have led to uneven product quality despite the emergence of leading backbone enterprises.

The revision of the standard mainly takes four aspects into consideration: preventing fire accidents, reducing traffic safety hazards, meeting consumers' daily needs and promoting the industry's high-quality development.

In terms of the impact on the production cost and pricing for electric bikes, the MIIT said that the production cost will remain basically stable, and the final market price will not fluctuate significantly.