Bosch urges US to adopt stricter e-bike regulations that helped it dominate European market
Compared to Europe’s strictly regulated electric bicycle market, the US has fewer restrictions on e-bikes. Bosch, one of the leading electric bicycle drive system manufacturers in Europe, hopes to see that change through the implementation of tighter safety regulations.
The US market isn’t quite the wild west, but it’s much closer to that end of the spectrum than Europe’s tightly-regulated electric bike market.
Compared to the weaker, throttle-less 15 mph (25 km/h) electric bicycles in Europe, the US is home to a wide range of e-bikes with everything from low power assist motors to high power motorcycle-like designs.
Hundreds of large and small e-bike companies and e-bike drive system manufacturers compete for their own sliver of the growing pie that is the US e-bike market, whereas the European market is dominated by a few larger players.
Bosch is perhaps the biggest, with its complete e-bike drive systems found on many of the most popular e-bikes in Europe.
Claudia Wasko, the general manager of Bosch E-bike Systems Americas, recently spoke to Bicycle Retailer about Bosch’s desire to see increased federal oversight of electric bicycles in the US.
Wasko explained that Europe uses several standards for e-bikes and their batteries, including EN 15194 that covers common hazards and hazardous events related to e-bikes.
In the US on the other hand – the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) – only recommends voluntary standards from organizations including ASTM, ANSI and UL, but the CPSC does not use Europe’s EN standards.
As Wasko explained, Bosch would like to see that changed so that the CPSC also covered e-bike safety standards in a more effective way, similar to the manner they have approached other products like hoverboards:
With e-bikes becoming more important in the U.S., Bosch would appreciate the CPSC becoming more involved in the topic of e-bike safety standards.
In 2018, the agency issued a letter that “urged” manufacturers and distributors of self-balancing scooters (hoverboards) to sell only products that comply with voluntary safety standards like UL 2272, which is a standard for electrical systems for personal e-mobility devices. Bosch would appreciate a similar approach for e-bikes.
Bosch also supports US e-bike safety regulations covering the entire e-bike system as opposed to just an individual part like the battery.
Most e-bikes sold in the US market use a combination of e-bike drive components from various suppliers; the motor might come from one supplier, while the battery and controller come from other suppliers. In Europe, it is more common for e-bikes to use a single unified supplier like Bosch to produce all components of the e-bike drive system.
Standards such as UL 2849 exist to cover broader e-bike systems including the drivetrain, battery, and charger. It’s a standard that Bosch would like to see applied to e-bikes in the US.
As Wasko continued:
UL 2849 has robust functional safety requirements for battery packs and battery management systems, and it also addresses risks associated with the other components of an e-bike system. Certification includes a detailed evaluation and testing of the drive unit, display unit, interconnecting cables and connectors, electrical accessories, battery system and charger system combinations.
Standards such as UL 2849 are essential to ensure safety through the thousands of cycles of charges and discharges. Testing and validating the safety of battery packs and battery management systems is needed to minimize the risk of fire and electric shock.
Getting certified to this system standard requires an investment of both time and money. Consequently, only a limited number of suppliers has taken these efforts.
The expense of these broader certifications makes it harder for new and smaller electric bicycle companies and component suppliers to compete against established industry giants like Bosch.
This would result in e-bike manufacturers having fewer choices for drivetrain components, with the remaining options likely consisting of larger companies like Bosch that can afford the certifications.
That’s a point that Wasko also made clear, though pointed to the safety benefits as Bosch’s rational for supporting complete system certification:
A system certification could decrease sourcing options for bicycle manufacturers who prefer to purchase e-bike components separately. But brands could undertake the efforts to comply with UL 2849. From the Bosch perspective, only complete-system standards can ensure the highest level of safety.
When discussing the difference between the EU and US markets for e-bikes, Wasko described the US e-bike market as lacking maturity compared to Europe’s e-bike market. In the US, it is common to order e-bikes online from direct-to-consumer companies. In Europe, most e-bikes are sold in bike shops that serve as middlemen between manufacturers and customers.
For many reasons including their perception, e-bikes in the U.S. have not reached the maturity level of the European market. The electrification rate in the U.S. is around 8%, compared to an average of 23% in Europe, with established countries reaching even 40-50%.
Electrek’s Take
The issue of increased e-bike regulations in the US is a touchy one.
American e-bike riders enjoy the benefits of looser restrictions that allow higher speeds and power levels. In Europe, it’s common for e-bike riders in bike lanes to be passed by pedal cyclists that traveling much faster than the e-bike’s 25 km/h (15 mph) speed limit.
In the US, e-bikes are often used on larger roads and outside of bike lanes, where higher power and speed limits help e-bikes keep up with US traffic levels.
Even if the issues of speed and power are put aside, safety regulations still create a massive point of contention. Few would object to the importance of safety regulations, but those that unfairly prevent smaller e-bike companies from competing or are crafted to benefit certain suppliers of complete e-bike systems could quickly draw accusations of bias.
While complete e-bike system regulations could certainly increase the safety of e-bikes, focusing on specific components – such as batteries – might be the most prudent choice in the short term. Batteries provide the most risk of any component on an e-bike, so they seem like the right place to start. And UL-rated batteries can of course be purchased by any manufacturer.
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Vietnam is taking bold steps to clean up its streets – and quiet them down. Starting next summer, the major downtown areas of Hanoi will ban all gasoline-powered motorcycles as part of a program to cut down on emissions.
The plan will go into effect on July 1, 2026, and then will expand the following year to cover more districts outside of downtown, and eventually include gasoline-powered cars as well. Other major cities like Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang are now studying similar measures.
The plan is part of Vietnam’s national goal to phase out gas-powered two-wheelers entirely by 2045. And in a country where motorcycles are the lifeblood of daily transportation, with an estimated 72 million of them on the road, this marks a seismic shift.
The first phase of the ban will cover the Hoan Kiem and Ba Dinh districts of Hanoi within the Ring Road 1. These central areas are known for dense traffic, high pollution levels, and a thriving tourism industry. Officials hope that banning gasoline-powered motorbikes will reduce noise, smog, and carbon emissions while nudging residents toward cleaner electric alternatives.
For now, the ban only affects motorcycles, but city officials have confirmed that it will extend to gasoline-powered cars in later phases. And while many Vietnamese cities have flirted with the idea of regulating vehicle emissions before, this marks the first concrete plan with a clear timeline. Ho Chi Minh City, the country’s largest urban area, is closely watching Hanoi’s progress and is said to be considering following suit.
Electric motorcycles and scooters are already a fast-growing market in Vietnam, led by homegrown companies like VinFast and Selex Motors. VinFast claims to have sold over 160,000 electric scooters as of early 2024, and Selex is rapidly expanding its battery-swap station network. But so far, electric two-wheelers only account for around 5% of the total market.
That number could soon change.
As gas-powered vehicles begin to disappear from urban centers, electric models may finally gain the upper hand. The government is also exploring support policies like financial incentives and improved charging infrastructure, both of which are key to getting more people to switch.
Still, there are hurdles. Many Vietnamese riders are hesitant to adopt electric bikes due to range anxiety, high upfront costs, and a lack of charging stations. But with regulatory pressure increasing and electric models becoming more affordable, the shift looks more like a matter of “when” than “if.”
Electrek’s Take
Vietnam banning gas-powered motorcycles is a big deal, and not just for local air quality. It’s also a major signal to the broader Southeast Asian market, where motorcycles vastly outnumber cars. If Vietnam can pull this off, it could become a model for electrifying personal transport in developing countries. Keep an eye on this one.
Each time I’ve visited Shanghai, for example, I’m amazed at how a pack of 30-40 motorcycles and scooters can whizz by with nothing but wind noise. China has set the example on how cities can clean up, quiet down, and improve their quality of life by mandating an end to gasoline-powered motorcycles. If other countries can replicate it in big cities, the improvement to local and global air quality would be massive, and that comes on top of all the hyper-local benefits like reductions in noise and urban grime.
That being said, one year is an incredibly fast timeline to shift literally millions of motorcycles to electric. It also doesn’t appear to address the financial burden this will put on residents who will have to replace their vehicle, even if locally produced electric scooters can be made affordable. I’ll be watching this one intently to see how officials can address these issues and if they can maintain this tight deadline. If they can pull it off, though, the face of major Vietnamese cities could change completely.
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French equipment manufacturer Manitou has committed to a joint venture with Chinese forklift manufacturer Hangcha that will see the two companies develop and manufacture advanced lithium-ion batteries to support the electrification of the heavy material handler space.
Manitou is well-known in the West, so they need no introduction. Hangcha, though, is arguably just as capable of a company, having opened its first forklift plant in 1956, manufacturing others’ designs under license. They developed their own, in-house material handler in 1974, and have racked up hits ever since. Hangcha is currently the world’s eighth-largest manufacturer of industrial vehicles globally (sounds wrong, but here’s the source).
The plan for the JV is to upgrade the two companies’ deployed fleets of existing lead-acid battery-powered vehicle with longer lasting lithium-ion (li-ion) batteries to expand their operational lifespan. From there, the focus could switch to diesel retrofits and, eventually, the joint development of entirely new products.
“Deepening strategic cooperation with Manitou Group and jointly establishing a lithium battery joint marks a new phase in the partnership between the two sides, which is a milestone in Hangcha global industrial layout,” explains Zhao Limin, Chairman and General Manager of Hangcha Group. “Leveraging Hangcha’s core technological and manufacturing strengths in lithium battery solutions, we will collaboratively enhance solution capability of new energy industrial vehicle power systems. This partnership perfectly aligns with our shared objectives to accelerate electrification transformation and drive sustainable development, while providing robust support to the broader industrial vehicle market.”
Manitou MHT 12330
Once production begins, the joint venture factory will play a key role in supporting Manitou Group’s “LIFT” strategic roadmap. LIFT aims to expand Manitou’s electric vehicle lineup of telehandlers and forklifts, and have EVs account for 28% of total unit forklift sales by 2030. Hangcha Group, meanwhile, has publicly stated its intention to become 100% electric by the end of 2025.
This joint venture plans to recruit employees including engineers, operators, sales representatives and after-sales service technicians. Le Mans Metropole will support the recruitment and local integration and training of future employees.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Manitou; images by Manitou, via Belkorp AG.
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