Amsterdam wants to reduce electric bike speed limits to just 20 km/h (12 mph)
If you thought most Europeans had it bad with lower e-bike speed limits of just 25 km/h (15 mph), then prepare yourself for even tighter restrictions in one European capital. That’s because Amsterdam’s city officials are proposing to reduce the electric bike speed limit on cycle paths to just 20 km/h (12 mph).
According to a letter to the city council from city transportation chief Melanie Van Der Horst regarding the subject of electric bike speed limits, many e-bikes traveling on the city’s vast cycling path network are said to reach speeds of 30 km/h (18 mph) or higher. The letter explained that the vast range of different speeds from slower non-electric bikes to faster electric bikes can be dangerous to kids and elderly riders on the cycling paths.
According to Dutch News, in order to create the reduced speed limit for e-bikes, a national law would need to be passed.
In the meantime, the city is trying to encourage faster electric bike riders to stick to the roads instead of cycling paths. They are also exploring the use of smart apps that can notify cyclists when they enter lower speed zones.
The issue of fast e-bikes may be uniquely important in Amsterdam, often seen as the cycling capital of the world. According to Road.cc, two thirds of daily transportation trips in the city are performed by bike.
Around 50% of bicycles sold in the city are electric, meaning e-bikes and non-electric bikes constantly mix on the cycling paths.
European electric bicycle laws don’t permit manufacturers to allow e-bikes to travel at over 25 km/h (15 mph) assisted. After hitting that speed, the motor must cut out and any additional speed is only obtainable under pedal power alone. However, non-compliant e-bikes that can exceed the established European e-bike standards can still be found.
Some electric bicycles that come programmed with EU-legal speed limits can also be modified to travel faster, though manufacturers and regulators have attempted to put an end to this practice of e-bike hot-rodding.
Electrek’s Take
The balance of speed and efficiency is tricky, especially in a place like Amsterdam where two-wheeled traffic can outnumber four-wheeled traffic. Faster e-bikes are often preferred because they reduce travel time and thus are more effective. But faster e-bike speeds can sometimes come at the cost of safety when cycling paths are already crowded.
However, I’m not sure that targeting e-bikes is the best way to handle it, especially when pedal bikes often ride faster. This is especially true in Europe, where the lower 25 km/h (15 mph) speed limit on e-bikes already means that many pedal cyclists pass by e-bikes in the cycling lanes.
Instead, it seems like a system that treats cycle path users like road users makes more sense. Creating a speed limit that is posted on the bike lane and then ticketing anyone who exceeds it or otherwise rides dangerously would seem sensible to me. It would allow e-bikes to be capable of higher speeds, which is useful when on the open road, but would ensure that people only use those speeds where safe and appropriate.
Of course that would require more manpower in the form of increased traffic cops. But if the issue here is safety, and if you’re playing with the kind of tax money that European countries get to enjoy, then it seems worth it to me.
But hey, they don’t ask me for my opinion on Dutch cycling laws. Nor should they.
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Environment
U.S. crude oil falls below $60 a barrel to lowest since 2021 on tariff-fueled recession fears
A view shows disused oil pump jacks at the Airankol oil field operated by Caspiy Neft in the Atyrau Region, Kazakhstan April 2, 2025.
Pavel Mikheyev | Reuters
U.S. oil prices dropped below $60 a barrel on Sunday on fears President Donald Trump’s global tariffs would push the U.S., and maybe the world, into a recession.
Futures tied to U.S. West Texas intermediate crude fell more than 3% to $59.74 on Sunday night. The move comes after back-to-back 6% declines last week. WTI is now at the lowest since April 2021.
Worries are mounting that tariffs could lead to higher prices for businesses, which could lead to a slowdown in economic activity that would ultimately hurt demand for oil.
Oil futures, 5 years
The tariffs, which are set to take effect this week, “would likely push the U.S. and possibly global economy into recession this year,” according to JPMorgan. The firm on Thursday raised its odds of a recession this year to 60% following the tariff rollout, up from 40%.
Fueled by incentives from the Illinois EPA and the state’s largest utility company, new EV registrations nearly quadrupled the 12% first-quarter increase in EV registrations nationally – and there are no signs the state is slowing down.
Despite the dramatic slowdown of Tesla’s US deliveries, sales of electric vehicles overall have perked up in recent months, with Illinois’ EV adoption rate well above the Q1 uptick nationally. Crain’s Chicago Business reports that the number of new EVs registered across the state totaled 9,821 January through March, compared with “just” 6,535 EVs registered in the state during the same period in 2024.
Those numbers represent more than 50% growth in EV registrations – far beyond the expected 12% first-quarter increase nationally being projected by Cox Automotive. (!)
What’s going on in Illinois?
While President Trump and Elmo were running for re-election, they campaigned on the threat promise of canceling the $7,500 federal tax credit for EVs. Along with California Governor Gavin Newsom, Illinois’ Governor JB Pritzker made countermoves – launching a $4,000 rebate for new electric cars and up to $1,500 for the purchase of a new electric motorcycle.
At the same time, the state’s largest utility, ComEd, launched a $90 million EV incentive program featuring a new Point of Purchase initiative to deliver instant discounts to qualifying business and public sector customers who make the switch to electric vehicles. That program has driven a surge in Class 3-6 medium duty commercial EVs, which are eligible fro $20-30,000 in utility rebates on top of federal tax credits and other incentives (Class 1-2 EVs are eligible for up to $7,500).
We covered the launch of those incentives when the program was announced at Chicago Drives Electric last year, but the message here is simple: incentives work.
SOURCES: Chicago Business, Ray Cunningham; featured image by the author.
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The electric construction equipment experts at XCMG just released a new, 25 ton electric crawler excavator ahead of bauma 2025 – and they have their eye on the global urban construction, mine operations, and logistical material handling markets.
Powered by a high-capacity 400 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery capable of delivering up to 8 hours of continuous operation, the XE215EV electric excavator promises uninterrupted operation at a lower cost of ownership and with even less downtime than its diesel counterparts.
XCMG is delivering on part of that reduced downtime promise with the lower maintenance and easier repair needs of electric equipment, and delivering on the rest of it with lickety-quick DC fast charging that can recharge the machine’s massive battery in 1.5-2 hours … but that’s not the slick bit. The XCMG XE125EV can be powered up without leaving the job site thanks to its BYD battery swap technology.
We first covered XCMG and its battery swap technology back in January, and covered similar battery-swap tech being developed by MOOG Construction offshoot ZQUIP, as well – but while XCMG’s battery tech has been in production for several years, it’s still not widely known about in the West (even within the industry).
XCMG showed off its latest electric equipment at the December 2024 bauma China, including an updated version of its of its 85-ton autonomous electric mining truck that features a fully cab-less design – meaning there isn’t even a place for an operator to sit, let alone operate. And that’s too bad, because what operator wouldn’t want to experience an electric truck putting down 1070 hp more than 16,000 lb-ft of torque!?
Easy in, easy out
The best part? All of the company’s heavy equipment assets – from excavators to terminal tractors to dump trucks and wheel loaders – all use the same 400 kWh BYD battery packs, Milwaukee tool style. That means an equipment fleet can utilize x number of vehicles with a fraction of the total battery capacity and material needs of other asset brands. That’s not just a smart use of limited materials, it’s a smarter use of energy.
You can check out all the XE215EV’s specs at this tear sheet, and get an in-person look at the Chinese company’s latest electric excavator this week in Munich, Germany.
SOURCE | IMAGES: XCMG.
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