Experiences of taking an ebike on a train?

[mjr]

I wonder what the actual data on e-bike safety is: what evidence based risk analysis are the train operators using to justify a ban?

That's basically the current dispute between Merseyfail and Cycling UK / the Cycling Defence Fund: it's not at all clear, they won't disclose (because maybe batteries will change their chemistry to evade mitigation measures???) and it won't surprise anyone if there are massive holes in the evidence or logical disconnects in the analysis.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

Because it only works while you are peddling. Stop peddling and the assistance stops

Sorry - that wasn;t as well phrased as I could have

What I meant was - throttle can be legal in some circumstances
such as being pre-2016 and sticking to those regulations including a 200W power limit

and
a specific thing from the DVLA - I think it is something like "Single Vehicle Authorisation"

I was wondering which you have - or if there is some other route I have missed

I have though many times that people with some mobility needs would benefit from one sometimes

 

[Anthony-C]

Throttle can be legal in some circumstances:
(1) pre-2016 and sticking to those regulations
(2) Single Vehicle Approval from a testing station
(3) it only works while you are pedalling, and below 4mph without pedalling ("start assist")

What is not allowed is a "fully acting" throttle that works above 4mph independently of pedalling on a bike sold from 2016 onwards.

 

[Anthony-C]

A size limit is probably one useful thing the railways could do, as it seems the dodgy motorbike battery fires are worse than the early mobile device battery fires partly because the batteries are so much bigger.

Another would be to require some certification sticker or other. Yes, someone can put a fake sticker on something, but the penalty for fraud by deception is probably greater than the penalty for a luggage offence, so I don't know if many would bother.

Size of a fire is mainly about battery size and charge. My ideal solution would be for staff to have a floppy string bag or cowl and if they reckon they could pretty much envelope a battery (on or off the bike) it's small enough to travel. Banning non-folding e-bikes isn't a bad compromise (even if it clobbers my bikes).

A sticker is already present, batteries are labelled with capacity but it's impractical to use and doesn't account for physical condition.

But the biggest issue with certification is that it would make some organisation the gatekeeper to a £300M market, a position ripe for abuse, and already there's intensive lobbying for this with proposals that in practice would undermine battery safety.

I wonder what the actual data on e-bike safety is: what evidence based risk analysis are the train operators using to justify a ban?

Given that these fires can be so severe it's as well they're not waiting: 787s were grounded worldwide because of two battery fires.

 

[rogerzilla]

I'm sure this one will be fine.

 

[mjr]

I'm sure this one will be fine.

View attachment 821457

But they should just stick some hinges in the top and down tubes so it can fold and it would be fine because folding prevents fires. 😉

 

[mjr]

But the biggest issue with certification is that it would make some organisation the gatekeeper to a £300M market, a position ripe for abuse, and already there's intensive lobbying for this with proposals that in practice would undermine battery safety.

I'm well aware of the risks of a single certifier brand becoming dominant (SoldSecure? MCS?) but they could be like organic food and have multiple acceptable certifiers with a common format, or even manufacturer asserted conformity (UKCA?) as most of the problem seems to be with DIY and scofflaw imports.