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U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Micromobility Safety Guidance

On December 20, 2022, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) has called on manufacturers, retailers, importers, and distributors of e-scooters, e-bicycle, and e-unicycles to comply with established UL safety standards. This includes products covered by ANSI/CAN/UL 2272 – Standard for Electrical Systems for Personal E-Mobility Devices dated February 26, 2019, and ANSI/CAN/UL 2849 – Standard for Safety for Electrical Systems for eBikes dated June 17, 2022.

In a move to strengthen fire safety of e-bikes, e-scooters, and the lithium-ion batteries that power such devices, on March 2, 2023, the New York City Council passed Initiative 663-A, mandating e-bikes, e-scooters, e-mobility devices, and light electric vehicle (EV) battery packs to be third-party certified. On March 20, 2023, New York City Mayor Eric Adams signed this into law. With this new law, any company selling, leasing or distributing micromobility devices, such as e-bikes or e-scooters, has until September 16, 2023, to obtain certification from an accredited testing laboratory to:

• UL 2849, the Standard for Electrical Systems for e-Bikes, for the electrical system of any powered bicycle sold, distributed, leased, or rented in New York City.
• UL 2272, the Standard for Electrical Systems for Personal E-Mobility Devices, for all powered mobility devices, including e-scooters, sold, distributed, leased, or rented in New York City.
• UL 2271, the Standard for Batteries for Use in Light Electric Vehicle Applications, of any storage battery for a powered bicycle or mobility device sold, distributed, leased or rented in New York City.

16 CFR Part 1512 – Requirements for bicycles

The CPSC mandates importers and manufacturers of bicycles to refer to 16 CFR Part 1512 – Requirements for Bicycles to ensure that their products are safe for consumer use.

Product scope

16 CFR Part 1512 defines?bicycles (which includes e-bikes)?as the following:

a. A vehicle with two wheels, with the back wheel being driven solely by human power

b. A motorized (up to 750 watts), pedaled, and single horse-powered vehicle with two or three wheels that, when ridden by a person weighing a maximum of 170 pounds on flat and paved surfaces, does not exceed a maximum speed of 20 mph

Safety requirements

Importers and manufacturers are required to ensure that their e-bikes comply with safety requirements outlined in 16 CFR Part 1512, such as the following:

• Mechanical requirements
• Requirements for pedals
• Requirements for tires
• Requirements for front fork
• Requirements for reflectors

Testing procedures

Bicycles and their components have to undergo various tests to ensure they can be used safely, such as the following:

• Protective cap and end-mounted devices test
• Handbrake loading and performance test
• Footbrake force and performance test
• Handlebar stem test
• Fork and frame test
• Reflector mount and alignment test

General Certificate of Conformity (GCC)

The General Certificate of Conformity (GCC) is used to certify that your imported e-bike products comply with applicable consumer product safety standards such as CPSC standards. Importers or manufacturers must issue the GCC with a list of applicable standards (e.g.16 CFR Part 1512) and support documents such as certificates and test reports.

Here is a GCC content overview for e-bikes:

a. Name and description of the e-bike

b. List of applicable standards

c. Identification of the importer or manufacturer

d. Contact information: Mailing address, e-mail address, phone number

e. Date (month, year) and place (city, country) of production

f. Date (month, year) and place (city, country) of product testing

g. Third-party testing company, contact person, e-mail, phone number, and address