This summer, the topic of illegal and non-compliant products entering the EU market was all around the news, with a record fine of €550 million by the EU to Alibaba for illegal sales. The cycling industry is no stranger to the problem, with the surge of non-compliant EPACs entering the market, mostly via online sales or smuggling. In our recently published White Paper, ECI explores the issue that spreads across the whole value chain, from easy-to-tamper components at manufacturing level, customs fraud, or point-blank non-compliant bikes; there is room for improvement. But what can be done, and at which level?
ECI believes the industry is responsible for ensuring EPACs are compliant by design and resistant to unauthorised modification. Indeed, modifying EPACs to exceed factory settings not only compromises safety but fundamentally alters the nature of the vehicle, hence the corresponding regulatory requirements.
Non-compliant products prompting new wave of response from cycling industry
This is why we are working on a position paper to show the industry’s commitment against tampering. In addition, this paper will also support market surveillance and enforcement authorities in identifying when an electrically assisted bike is non-compliant or has been tampered with based on state-of-the-art tools and methods developed by the industry.
ECI strongly believes there is a need to raise awareness at the point of sale and consumer-level on the safety issues related to non-compliant bikes and the use of tampering kits. For example, ECI warmly welcomes the initiative “E-Bike Positive” from the Bicycle Association in the UK, which introduces a safety trust mark at brands and retailer-level to guide consumers when buying an EPAC.
Share on Linkedin Share on Facebook Share on Twitter