Electric bicycles can legally travel at 25 km/h in the UK. But the fastest one confiscated by the police could reach a speed of 112 km/h. How can the invasion of these modified and potentially fatal vehicles be stopped?
On a busy Wednesday morning in Bishopsgate, London, Police Sergeant Stuart Ford is tracking down potential offenders on two wheels. A significant part of the unit’s activity focuses on modified electric bicycles; this year, the police have confiscated 212.
Officers Harry Rose and David Parker stopped a man suspected of riding an illegal electric bicycle - an Uber Eats delivery rider. Mahede Hasan says his bicycle has pedals, and the electric motor power is 250 watts, which he thought was allowed.
Agent Ford tilts the bicycle on its stand and twists the throttle on the handlebar. "First of all, it's illegal," he says. "You should pedal to make the motor work." The bicycle doesn't move because the rear wheel, the one that spins, doesn't touch the ground, but the speedometer keeps climbing – 20, 30, 40, 50, 52 km/h. That's about 51 km/h when riding on the street.
"What do you think should be the maximum speed of this pedal-assist bicycle?" the officer asks Hasan. The man doesn't know, so Ford tells him: "25 km/h. Essentially, that's a motorcycle."
Illegally Sold Electric Bicycles
Electric bicycles are not illegal per se, and undoubtedly, their increasing popularity can be seen everywhere in the cities of the UK, writes The Guardian.
To comply with the law, an electric bicycle must meet certain criteria: it must have pedals that can be used to operate the bicycle, an electric motor with a maximum power of 250W, and a maximum assisted speed of 25 km/h.
This doesn't mean they can't go faster if you pedal hard or go downhill, but only that the motor won't assist you beyond this speed. Essentially, they are bicycles with a bit of help and are treated as such: you don't need a license, registration, or insurance to use them.
The issue is that many electric bicycles are not legal and should not be used on the street, but they are very easy and cheap to obtain.
While the officers complete the fine form, 21-year-old Hasan, who hails from Bangladesh, says he bought his new bicycle online for 600 pounds (692 euros). "I got it because I work eight or nine hours a day, and if I just pedal, I'll get more tired. An electric bicycle is more comfortable," he says.
Hasan thought the bicycle was legal since there was nothing on the website he bought it from indicating otherwise. "If it's not, how do I sell it to people?" he asks. If he had known he was breaking the law, he wouldn't have stopped when the police stopped him, he admits. The police bicycle intervention unit uses pedal bikes. "I don't think they would catch me," he says.
Now he's left without a bicycle, and it will affect his earnings.
More Motorcycle Than Bicycle
Most of the electric bicycles confiscated by British police are regular models with pedals, modified with special kits. This isn't illegal per se, as long as the motor isn't larger than 250W - generally, you can tell this from the size of the rear wheel hub. In a few seconds, you can find a 3,000W conversion kit on your phone, made in China, for 142.59 pounds (164.57 euros). Nowhere does it say it's illegal to ride a bicycle equipped with this kit on a UK street.
Sergeant Ford estimates that about three-quarters of illegal electric bicycles are ridden by food delivery riders. Electric bicycles – usually some high-powered ones – are also a preferred vehicle for phone thief gangs, he mentions: "Because they're so fast and can't be detected, as they don't have license plates, and if cyclists wear helmets, you can't see who they are."
But what about people who aren't committing crimes, who just want to get around a little faster, most likely to earn half a decent income? The problem, Ford says, is that these illegal electric bicycles are actually motorcycles ridden by untrained individuals. "These people haven't passed any tests, haven't had any road training, and don't have the necessary road driving skills. They just hop on and ride without insurance, taxes, non-compliant lights, an unregistered bicycle, all these things."
Many of the confiscated bicycles look more like motorcycles. The fastest one confiscated by the police was able to reach 112 km/h.
Two-Wheeled "Bombs" Used to Exploit People
A report published this summer highlighted an increase in battery fires caused by unregulated electric bicycle conversion kits, cheap batteries, and poor-quality imports. In 2023, London firefighters responded to 179 incidents involving fires caused by electric bicycles or scooters.
The document emphasizes the exploitation of cyclists in the gig economy, who are incentivized to use faster and illegal bicycles to meet delivery targets, is also a significant factor.
The report has several objectives:
- online merchants to withdraw unsafe electric bicycles from sale;
- retailers to be legally responsible for non-compliant ads;
- eliminating the loophole that allows sales under the pretext of off-road use;
- ensuring compliance by delivery companies, requiring them to check the bicycles used by couriers;
- granting rights and protection for gig economy cyclists.
Why Modified Bicycles Are Sought After
Celestino Pereira, originally from Brazil, legally arrived in the UK in 2019 and started working in London for Deliveroo. "You only need a phone and a bicycle; you just need to show the number and pick up the order, no need to speak English, so it was good for me," he says.
Pereira started making deliveries with a pedal bicycle, but found he couldn't earn the minimum wage, so when he had enough money, he bought a legal electric bicycle – one with 500 pounds – and managed to take more orders. But three weeks after getting it, his electric bicycle was stolen. That's when he decided to give up electric bicycles.
Pereira bought a petrol moped, which meant he had to undergo mandatory basic road training, get a license, take out insurance, all of which cost him.
He estimates that about 70% of food delivery riders in London ride illegal electric bicycles and understands why: "They're cheaper than legal ones and faster, so you can complete more orders and have more batteries, so you don't have to stop to recharge them."
Something Is Wrong and Needs to Be Fixed
Returning to Hasan, he was fined 300 pounds. Now he has another electric bicycle because he needs to work. This one is legal, was insured at the store: 250W, 25 km/h limit, no acceleration. It cost 900 pounds (1,038 euros), he pays in installments, and it will take him some time to pay it off.
Hasan earns 50-60 pounds (57-69 euros) for a shift of eight or nine hours: "On a busy day, sometimes 70 pounds (almost 81 euros). In a week, I can earn 350 pounds (404 euros)."
There is a clear reason why illegal electric bicycles are banned: they are dangerous – for other people on the street, for pedestrians, often even for cyclists themselves.
However, looking at the big picture - of an industry that exploits vulnerable individuals while making huge profits and online markets that sell unsafe products without accountability or repercussions - it's hard to imagine that a young man from Bangladesh struggling to earn the minimum wage is the villain in this story, concludes the British newspaper.
T.D.