Retailers urged to sign-up as media shows increasing interest in E-Bike Positive campaign
Posted on in Business News , Cycles News
Major media outlets, including the BBC and Sky News, as well as regional and cycling-focused media to the growing have been giving significant coverage to E-Bike Positive, the largest-ever national campaign dedicated to e-bike battery safety and consumer education that is aiming to put the record straight and help consumers make safer electric bike purchases.
Jonathan Harrison, Director of the Association of Cycle Traders, appeared on BBC Scotland’s nightly current affairs programme, “The Nine” to discuss the campaign, saying:
“Road-legal e-bikes are an excellent solution for modern transportation. They’re eco-friendly, they’re efficient, they reduce congestion, and they make cycling accessible to all abilities. But some people are looking to speed up these products that look like bicycles but are, in fact, better off considered as electric motorbikes.
We welcome any change in legislation that can be passed to prevent these illegal versions, but we are aware as an industry that legislation takes time to pass. So, collectively we have created the E-Bike Alliance and subsequently the E-Bike Positive campaign and we would urge people to find out more and get involved with it.”
The growing media coverage in the campaign provides some balance against ongoing media coverage of fires linked to unsafe e-bikes and chargers, which has been raising public concern and damaging the reputation of all e-bikes.
“In most cases, these unfortunate incidents are caused not by certified OEM e-bikes but by uncertified, aftermarket, batteries imported to the UK, purchased via online auction sites or unapproved retailers,” continues Harrison.
“This misconception is jeopardising the growth of e-bikes as a sustainable transport solution and creating challenges in an already tough market.”
The campaign, he says, is a way to distinguish safer, reputable products from the high-risk ones causing these incidents.
“We need to promote positive and proactive messaging around e-bike safety, addressing recent concerns and emphasising our commitment to consumer well-being. That’s why we are asking bike shops to pledge their commitment and be listed as an E-Bike Positive retailer now.”
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