Nearly 200 signatories have signed LEVA-EU’s open letter demanding the German Bicycle Industry Association, ZIV, drops its proposed changes to electric bike regulations.
ZIV (Zweirad Industrie Verband) published a position paper on the future of European ebike regulations in April 2025, which quickly prompted a backlash and accusations of protectionism from sections of the e-mobility market.
The recent debate over ebike regulations has been fuelled by the European Union giving the industry until 2027 to redefine electric bike standards, which could have big implications for the future of the industry.
In the open letter written by LEVA-EU, a European trade association for electric vehicles, the signatories object to how ZIV’s proposed changes could punish elderly and disabled people, undermine the EU’s climate commitments and penalise certain types of electrically assisted pedal cycles (EAPCs).
The signatories include individuals from companies such as DJI, Avinox, Skarper and VanMoof.
They say ZIV’s proposals would impose "arbitrary restrictions” on EAPCs. These include limits on assistance ratios, peak power and vehicle weight.
Addressed to ZIV, the Confederation of the European Bicycle Industry (CONEBI), which supports the proposals, and the European Commission, the letter also asks these bodies to “not let Europe become the desert of light electric mobility innovations”.
It says ZIV’s proposal would “obstruct European innovation and competitiveness, protecting incumbents while sidelining new entrants and technologies”.
A critical aspect of the ZIV position paper is the proposal to ensure ebikes have the same legal status as non-assisted cycles.
The open letter objects to this legal equivalence, because it would mean certain EAPCs would be subject to type-approval, where a product must meet a minimum set of regulatory, technical and safety requirements.
This could limit heavier and more powerful EAPCs, which would be beneficial for logistics or even families commuting on e-cargo bikes, from getting to the market.
The letter outlines how this also points to a “deeper structural problem” around the regulation of EAPCs in Europe.
LEVA-EU says an EAPC with a motor that provides 250W of continuous power – the legal limit in the EU for an ebike – is regulated under the Machinery Directive. It is therefore excluded from type approval and can be placed on the market after a brand’s own certification process. But an EAPC with a motor power of 300W “must undergo costly and unsuitable type-approval under Regulation 168/2013”.
The issue here is that some argue motor power does not affect the risk an EAPC poses. If an EAPC has an identical weight and top speed, they say, it poses the same risk in an impact, regardless of motor power.
“This regulatory split is neither proportionate nor neutral, and it undermines competitiveness and innovation across the LEV [light electric vehicle] sector,” the open letter says.
The letter adds that instead of a ‘regulatory split’, there should be a dedicated light electric vehicle regulation. It says it would mean these vehicles could be regulated according to their “real safety and use characteristics, not outdated or arbitrary distinctions” and would “enable a fair, innovation-friendly, and future-proof market for light electric mobility in Europe”.
ZIV has yet to respond to our request for comment.
