MICROMOBILITY
drive them on the road, which brings the speed pedelec between the cars and doesn’t always give the safest feeling to the person driving. In the key markets, they are allowed to drive in the cycling lanes. However, we often get comments like, ‘A normal e-bike goes 25km/h, a speed pedelec goes 45km/h, aren’t they a danger to other cyclists?’ “We do agree, but we also don’t, because you have to see the speed pedelec from the perspective of a car. In some places, it will not be a danger to drive at 45km/h, but if you go into the city, where it’s more crowded
and there are more people and bicycles, then a speed pedelec should also adapt. So we are also a big supporter of having adapted speed signs for the speed pedelec. Depending on where you’re driving, you have to adapt to regulations. You now see it with e-scooters, with geo- fencing, restricting where they can ride. “Our bikes are fully connected like I think most speed pedelecs on the market are, which means geo-fencing would be possible to use. So if you’re driving, for example, out of the city centre, it will go 45km/h, but whenever you enter the city centre it will be down to 25km/h.” S-pedelecs are not there to replace e-bikes per se,
instead, they’re an excellent tool to be ridden alongside slower bikes. But with sharing the same space as other road users, comes a collective responsibility – much like how car drivers should look out for cyclists, cyclists for pedestrians, etc.
‘IN COUNTRIES WHERE THE PROCESS IS SMOOTH AND EFFICIENT, IT’S MUCH MORE ATTRACTIVE TO CUSTOMERS AND RETAILERS’
UK adoption In the UK, this type of conversation will only take place if the Government sees S-pedelecs as a useful e-mobility tool and consider changing the classification within which they are currently registered, as Flynn explained: “There’s some great progress being made on urban mobility topics but undoubtedly, the Government needs to speed up the process to address environmental issues and make cycling, walking or public transport more appealing to the general public. On speed- pedelecs, they are a great solution for people needing to make longer journeys
so anything which encourages people outside of cars and onto this type of vehicle should be promoted. There’s a collective responsibility to use them legally and safely now to demonstrate their purpose, value and relevance in the mobility landscape.”
So while the red tape is in place, and customers have
to go through an often month-long process that can cost hundreds of pounds on top of the S-pedelec they have already purchased, what can retailers do to incentivise consumers to purchase one? “A retailer will invariably stock regular E-bikes, and speed-pedelecs,” continued Flynn. “If they speak to a customer and the intended use clearly fits a regular e-bike, sell that. If the customer would gain an advantage from the speed, range and features of a speed-pedelec; sell its attributes and begin the conversation of how to register and insure it. If the benefits don’t outweigh the additional
www.bikebiz.com
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