The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology ("MIIT") and the Standardization Administration of China ("SAC") have recently issued the Technical Standards for the Safety of Electric Bicycles (Draft for Approval) (the "Draft for Approval") for public consultation by February 14, 2018.
The Draft for Approval improves requirements on electric bicycles' safety performance in all aspects, makes the complete document, instead of some articles in the past, compulsory, introduces certain technical indicators, including the tamper-proofing, fireproof performance, flame retardance and protection of chargers, and optimizes some other technical gauges, such as the maximum speed, weight of a complete bicycle, and capacity for riding manually. In particular, the maximum speed is increased from the previous 20km/h to 25km/h, the weight of a complete bicycle (including the battery) from 40kg to 55kg, and the motor power from 240W to 400W, in addition to compulsory requirements on the capacity for riding manually. Furthermore, the Draft for Approval makes clear the boundary dimension, adds requirements on a bicycle's performance when it is exposed to rain or wading across water puddles and on the alert of the running speed, and brings new requirements and improves existing ones on how to compile the user instructions.