New requirements ban electric bikes that have not been assessed at a registered retailer – of which there are only nine in the state
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An ebike has saved Queensland mother Rhianna Steindl thousands of dollars in petrol and other vehicle running costs.
In the six years since she bought her large cargo bike, it has became a common sight in her regional town of Bundaberg. Steindl often used it to commute to work, take the kids to school and more, giving up her car despite a lack of cycling infrastructure.
But a new law will probably prevent Steindl and other regional ebike users from being able to use their legal bikes.
Under new legislation passed by the Queensland state government earlier this year, e-vehicles are banned from use in public if they don’t meet a new standard capping their power at 250 watts.
Steindl says her ebike meets all the new requirements of the Electrically Power-Assisted Cycle (EPAC) assurance scheme but one: it doesn’t have the sticker that demonstrates it has been assessed at a bike retailer under the state’s new assurance scheme.
The state government quietly announced the scheme on 2 November. Just nine bike shops across the state have signed up.