Perhaps one of the greatest answers to the pollution problem, electric bikes are the next best thing and the industry is accelerating at record rates. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, sales were booming and strong growth, but cabin fever in the lockdown period prompted an even greater demand. People not only wanted to avoid public transport, they just wanted to get outside.
Recognizing the industry need, ISO has just published a new technical specification dedicated to the safety of electric bikes, to help the technology travel in the right direction. ISO/TS 4210-10, Cycles – Safety requirements for bicycles – Part 10: Safety requirements for electrically power assisted cycles (EPACs), brings together regulations from various countries to provide internationally agreed requirements that ensure their safety.
Mr Shinji Yoshimura, Convenor of the ISO working group that developed the document [1] said global concerns about the environmental impact of cars have been driving this industry for some time, and technologies have developed rapidly in response.
“By bringing together international expertise to provide a standardized set of requirements, the industry can develop even further, with user safety top of mind.”
ISO/TS 4210-10 is the latest in ISO’s ten-part series on bicycles and the other nine standards in the series are currently being updated. These include ISO 4210-2, Cycles – Safety requirements for bicycles – Part 2: Requirements for city and trekking, young adult, mountain and racing bicycles, and ISO 4210-3, Cycles – Safety requirements for bicycles – Part 3: Common test methods.
ISO/TS 4210-10, and indeed all of the ISO 4210 standards, can be purchased from your national ISO member or through the ISO Store.
- ISO 4210-10 was developed by working group WG 15 of ISO subcommittee ISO/TC 149/SC 1, Cycles and major sub-assemblies, whose secretariat is held by JISC, ISO’s member for Japan.