The ebike class 1/2/3 concept is stupid puritan nonsense driven by cyclist jealousy and serves only to limit the usefulness of ebikes as car replacements.
The ebike class 1/2/3 concept is stupid puritan nonsense driven by cyclist jealousy and serves only to limit the usefulness of ebikes as car replacements.
These are European classes seeping through. The class C e-bikes are tremendously popular in Belgium, The Netherlands and Germany and are replacing cars for commutes.
In Belgium the adoption is huge because the class C (45 km/h) are allowed on regular bicycle paths and on the road where max speed is 50 km/h (31 mph). They are specifically useful on our cycle highways infrastructure for medium long distances. Daily commutes by bike of 20 to 30 km are quite common now.
A class 3 bike requires a license plate, insurance and a driver’s license.
Class 3 bikes aren’t allowed on mixed bicycle pedestrian infrastructure.
Class 2 bikes are required to follow the same regulation as mopeds and you can ride them from age 16.
It’s all very logical if you place these classes in their proper environment.
I did a 20km commute for a month in one of the Low countries and it was a very pleasant way to spend the morning. In the warmer months at least.
My daily commute is just under 20 Km’s on average. I started doing it by speed Pedelec (Class C) a few years ago. It seems that my commute has become father on average because I don’t have to bother about parking space (most companies around here don’t have staff parking lots) and rush hour trafic. I leave for work 10 minutes later than I did by car.
When the weather is really bad I use public transport, which is fine. I invested in decent clothing to keep me cool, warm or dry and that has been one of the best investment ever.