Australia — More and more motorists are parking their cars and taking up motorised bicycles , thanks to the rising cost of petrol, not to mention the cost to park in the city.

Described by the Department for Planning and Infrastructure as one of the faster growing forms of transport, the power-assisted bicycles do not need to be registered and can be ridden without a licence.

Tony Alexander , owner of Ace Cycling, said demand for the battery or petrol-powered cycles, which could reach speeds up to 26kmh and cost between $1500 and $2300, had been steadily growing from motorists who seek environmentally friendly or low-cost alternatives to driving. (Some riders are those who have lost their licence – however, even though e-bikes don’t require licenses, check to make sure that in your local area, you can still ride an e-bike on a suspended license.)

A DPI spokesman said that to be classified as a bicycle, the motor must not exceed 200 watts.

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Guelph, Canada — Electric-powered bicycles are considered bicycles in most places around the world…as long as they meet certain specifications. If they can go faster than a certain speed, they are no longer considered e-bikes but rather scooters, for example. So how do you find  what you need to know regarding e-bikes. Well, ask the shop where you’re buying it, of course, but also check your local government website to see what the rules are, just to doublecheck. In Guelph, for example, even though you don’t need a driver’s licence to ride a battery-operated bike, if you’ve lost your licence due to a Criminal Code infraction such as impaired driving, you are not allowed to ride them.

“If you operate an e-bike after losing your license, you can be charged with driving while disqualified,” Guelph Police Sgt. Doug Pflug pointed out. “It’s a bit confusing because the law says you don’t need a license to operate one.”

In Gueph, ebikes are those that operate on a battery not exceeding 500 watts or by pedal power and can’t go faster than 32 kilometers per hour. You can be as young as 16 to operate them and need to wear only a bicycle helmet. Ministry of Transportation spokesperson Emna Dhahak said the Criminal Code considers e-bikes a motorized vehicle, while the Highway Traffic Act considers them a bicycle. Therefore, if you lose your license due to Highway Traffic Act violations, you are still allowed to operate an e-bike. But a Criminal Code infraction means you can’t operate one.

WHAT ARE E-BIKES? (In Guelph)

- powered by electric motor not exceeding 500 watts
- maximum speed of 32 kilometres per-hour
- does not require insurance or driver’s licence
- operators must be at least 16-years-old
- must wear a bicycle helmet
- must have pedals that are operable

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Alberta, Canada — New regulations as of July 1, 2009 will allow people to ride power-assisted bicycles without needing a licence, insurance or registration. Riders will have to wear a helmet that is approved by the Department of Transportation.

Originally, because eBikes weighted 40 kilograms, they were too heavy to qualify as non-licensed bicycles.

The bikes had no problem in the rest of Canada, but in Alberta, any vehicle that weighed more than 35 kilograms and traveled faster than 35 kilometers per hour was considered a moped. And moped riders had to be licensed. Unlicensed e-bike owners were fined.

These regulations added about $1,000 to the cost of the eBike, which are imported from China. The bikes sell for between $1,899 and $2,600.

Alberta’s new regulations stipulate power or power-assisted bicycles have a top speed of 32 km/h and an electric motor with a maximum power of 500 watts. Weight is not restricted, no driver’s license is required and the minimum driving age is 12. No insurance or registration is needed but a motorcycle helmet is required.

eBikes take between two and four hours to charge and can be charged every day at a cost of five or 10 cents.

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Tony Parker,a laid off worker, began working on a project in his garage, and has built an electric motorbike completely from found junk: Honda parts, washing machine parts, Yamaha parts.

He also built a charging station for the bike.

The charging station consists of both solar and a small windmill. The wind generator can charge the bike at 250 watts per hour. On the other hand the solar cell will only do 1.5 watts an hour.

He calls the bike the Electra Green and you can find more info on it there.

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E+ Mountain Bike and E+ Cruiser offer bicycles with battery-operated motors that allow people to ride the bike like a scooter, as well as a regular bicycle.

Dan Robinson, owner of Golden Gate Veloteq and Velolectric EBikes in San Carlos, says that people are really embracing the bikes.

The E+ bike mimic previous models of electronic bikes, have a higher voltage; thus they have a higher maximum speed. According to Robinson, riders can get 20 to 40 miles from one battery.

The E+ bikes differentiate themselves from the other electronic bikes, such as the ECOBike, because they are more powerful. The E+ bikes’ highest available voltage is 1,000 watts with a top speed of 30 mph, while ECOBike’s highest available voltage is 360 watts with a maximum speed of 20 mph.

“The appeal of these bikes is that they are exempt from having to be registered by the DMV,” said Robinson.

NOTE: Any bike that exceeds 30 mph requires the owner to have a driver’s license, and to register the vehicle with the DMV for a one-time fee of $18. Other than that, to drive the slower models, California law requires the drivers to be at least 16 years old and to wear a bicycle helmet.

Source: Nicholas Gosling/Daily Journal

The E+ bikes have other features that set them apart. One of the features is a computer that tells the owner the battery life, mileage and speed. The computer also has set programs that allow the driver to pick the resistance and a program that, while the driver is pedaling, will charge the battery.

All of the electric bikes have the option of not using the motor and pedaling, and the option of just using the motor to ride like a scooter.

Because E+ bikes are more sophisticated, they cost more than other electronic bicycles. Prices for the E+ models range from $3,500 to $5,000 depending on the model, voltage, warranty and other customizations.

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Electrotherm India, which produces the YO BIKE series of electric bikes and scooters, is planning on introducing yet another model – a 1000 Watt version of the Ebike (that’s 250 more Watts than the YO Speed delivers.)

Avinash Bhandari, the Director of Electrotherm India, stated that the company prefers to modify their existing models (by adding more power) rather than departing from what they know works.

Electrotherm has sold around 10,000 e-bikes in less than a year, and are expectant that business will really take off in the upcoming decade.

Electrotherm also plans to export these bikes. They will start out by testing the markets in Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

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Find out if your bike and equipment meets local laws and regulations to avoid fines.

Countries like the United States, Canada and Australia all have different laws and regulations for the use of electric bikes. Within each state and province there can be even more variations making the it incredibly confusing. Check with your local authorities about conflicting laws and regulations. Electric bicycles have rules that require the use of proper safety gear such as helmets.

In many places electric bikes are not allowed to be ridden on the road as part of traffic. Check into this before you receive a fine. To ride on the road could obstruct traffic and cause an accident. It’s never worth it to break the rules where you live. If you are not able to ride your electric bike with traffic then you will have to seek out an alternative route since many bikes are also not allowed on sidewalks.

According to some places the laws are based on the amount of power that the bike puts out. If the engine runs at 200 watts or more then the bike may not be allowed on the road unless it is registered as a vehicle. This varies from state to state so don’t assume that it’s the same. You need to know for sure because driving without registration is a serious offense. Sometimes the law is based on speed limit or engine size. For example, if your electric bike reaches certain speeds you may be required to have it registered.

Many locations work in quite the opposite way. Many places will only allow electric bikes on sidewalks and biking paths. This can limit where you can use them so keep this in mind when considering the switch to an electric bike. If you can’t use the road then it may be more inconvenient that anything.

It’s important to note that an electric bike is nothing like a scooter or a motorbike. It does not have that kind of engine power or capacity. It is nothing more than a bicycle that has been equipped with electricity to power it. If you decide to make use of an electric bike, always be informed of the laws where you live. It’s not worth the risk or the trouble to go about uninformed. Electric bikes are still a confusing topic so ask officials for all legal information before you ride.

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