Regulatory Requirements and Standards

The ZIV – Die Fahrradindustrie (German Bicycle Industry Association), together with its member companies and partners including tekom, velotech.de, and the Zedler – Institute for Bicycle Technology and Safety, has published the document Essential Safety Information for Electric Bicycles, accompanied by explanatory notes. The document provides recommendations on how essential safety information for electric bicycles can be structured in accordance with the requirements of the EU Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC. It can serve as a template for the preparation of essential safety information for e-bikes.

The publication considers the requirements of the EU Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC and the recommendations set out in the European Commission’s Guide to the Application of the Machinery Directive (Edition 2.3), revised in April 2024. This edition includes section §255 “The form of the instructions”, which introduces specifications on the formats of instructions for use that will apply under the EU Machinery Regulation 2023/1230 from 20 January 2027. In this respect, the guide anticipates certain provisions of the upcoming regulation.

Because electric bicycles are intended for non-professional users, manufacturers are required to provide essential safety information in paper form, while other parts of the instructions for use may be supplied exclusively in digital format.

The content of the essential safety information was developed on the basis of the harmonized standard DIN EN 15194:2017 – Electrically Power Assisted Cycles (EPAC).

The jointly developed document provides guidance on what content may be considered essential safety information for electric bicycles and can serve as a practical reference for manufacturers and other organizations involved in the design, documentation, and distribution of EPACs.