On April 30, 2009 the EN 15194 standard for 'Electronically Power Assisted Cycles' (EPAC) will be officially announced by the National Standards Boards (NSBs) of 30 countries (27 EU member states and Iceland, Norway and Switzerland of the European Free Trade Association). The EPAC standard comes into force with the publication by the National Standards Boards. Till now, it was published by the National Standards Boards of the following countries: Estonia, Latvia, Malta, Ireland, Austria, Sweden and Slovenia. The National Standards Boards of the other 20 member states of the 27 countries that form the European Union, as well as the three European Free Trade Association countries will publish the standard before July 31st 2009.

Sixth months after the EPAC standard announcement all the European and EFTA National Standards Bodies will have implemented the EPAC standard as national standard and any previous national standards shall be withdrawn before July 31st 2009. The implementation of the EPAC standard varies by country. In some European countries it is compulsory by law. So far, these countries are France and the UK. In other countries it is part of the European product safety ruling.

EN 15194 specifies safety requirements and test methods for the assessment of the design and assembly of electrically power assisted bicycles and sub-assemblies for systems using battery voltage up to 48 VDC or integrated a battery charger with a 230 V input.

It is intended to cover electrically power assisted cycles of a type which have a maximum continuous rated power of 0,25 kW, of which the output is progressively reduced and finally cut off as the vehicle reaches a speed of 25 km/h, or sooner, if the cyclist stops pedalling.

EN 15194 contains requirements for:

• Electric circuits
• Batteries
• Electric cables and connections
• Power management
• Electro Magnetic Compatibility
• Maximum speed for which the electric motor gives assistance
• Maximum power measurement.

For more information about product safety, you may ask Intertek expert by filling in this enquiry form.