Relevant central departments started soliciting public opinions on the newly revised "Electric Bicycle Safety Technical Specifications" last week. The draft national standard for e-bikes aims to prevent e-bike modifications that often involve increasing the rated power and maximum speed.

While the speed of some modified e-bikes can reach 160 kilometers per hour, the draft standard clarifies that the maximum design speed should not exceed 25 km/h. Apart from traffic accidents caused by speeding e-bikers — which account for about 70 percent of traffic accidents in some places — about 25,000 fires a year nationwide are attributable to the charging of problematic e-bike batteries. The new standard makes the use of flame retardant in e-bike's nonmetallic materials compulsory, and also limits the proportion of plastic parts that can be used in e-bikes.

There are also some amendments responding to consumer demands. For example, the weight limit of e-bikes using lead-acid batteries will be raised from 55 kilograms to 63 kg, and pedal riding devices will no longer be mandatory.

There are about 350 million e-bikes on Chinese roads now. The introduction of the new standard is expected to become an important opportunity for the upgrading of China's e-bike industry.

The manufacturers, retailers and market and industry supervisory departments need to strengthen their coordination and fulfill their respective duties to ensure strict implementation of the new standard once it is introduced.

Notably the authorities will give a six-month transition period for the manufacturers to produce new e-bikes according to the new standard, and an additional three months for the e-bike dealers to digest their inventory of old e-bikes.

-BEIJING NEWS