Call to ban performance kits for e-bikes

Safe traffic organization VVN and cyclists’ association Fietsersbond want the government to ban the sale of performance kits for electric bicycles. These kits, intended to make e-bikes go faster, are currently freely available and can cause life-threatening situations, they said to the Telegraaf.

“If you install one on the electric bike, you are simply a racing monster,” VVN spokesperson Rob Stomphorst said to the newspaper. “An e-biker can sometimes reach speeds well above 50 km/h, while they are only allowed to go 24 km/h. That creates life-threatening situations.”

The Fietserbond is also in favor of a ban. “For the safety of the cyclist himself and his fellow road users, who do not see that a bicycle is traveling at such a high speed. In addition, anyone who boosts their e-bike should know that in the event of an accident, their damages will not be reimbursed,” said a spokesperson. “The warranty on your bike expires if it has been messed with.”

The police told the Telegraaf that they don’t automatically act against people who used performance kits on their e-bikes. “Only if there is an accident with an electric bike do we check whether it has been boosted,” Paul Broer said on behalf of the National Police. “The point is that installing booster sets causes danger on the roads because the vehicle is often not built for this and can become less controllable for the driver. But it is not up to the police to decide what can or cannot be sold.”

According to the Telegraaf, there are no figures on accidents involving e-bikes that had performance kits installed. But the figures on e-bike accidents show that more people are getting hurt. Last year, e-bikes were involved in 80 of the 207 fatal bicycle accidents, compared to 65 of 203 in 2020.