EPAC status – facts, positions and outlooks
With almost 16 million e-bikes (defined legally as «EPACs») now on the roads in Germany, they are today the most important driver of electric mobility in Germany and key to both the mobility transition and the climate turnaround. To ensure their continued success, the legal status of EPACs must be safeguarded and the existing regulations at the same time defined more precisely. The ZIV has drafted a position paper and prepared answers to some of the questions that have arisen in the most recent discussions on this subject. See below for an overview.
E-bikes/EPACs – active mobility as a success factor
Similar to purely muscle-powered bicycles, EPACs (e-bikes) are vehicles of active mobility. Users actively influence the riding behaviour and propel their vehicle by pedalling. In this position paper, the ZIV discusses parameters that ensure the ratio between a cyclist’s pedal power and the motor assistance and maintain the equivalence of EPACs with muscle-powered bicycles that do not require type approval as a means of transport for active mobility.
Read more about the ZIV’s position »
Read more about the ZIV’s position »
Questions about e-bikes/EPACS – and some answers
The ZIV proposes more precise definition of the support ratio in the drive systems of EPACs. But why are new regulations needed at this time? What are the European Commission’s plans for this? And how did the ZIV come upon the standards it is proposing? These and other questions are answered in detail in our FAQs on EPACs.
View the FAQs »
View the FAQs »