China releases new e-bike safety standards enforcement guidelines

This photo taken on May 5, 2025 shows the 2025 China International Bicycle Fair in east China's Shanghai. [Photo/Xinhua]

China has issued a set of guidelines ensuring the effective implementation of new mandatory national safety standards for electric bicycles (e-bikes), in an effort to improve regulation of this sector.

The document, released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), the Ministry of Public Security, the State Administration for Market Regulation, and the National Fire and Rescue Administration, outlines comprehensive measures which apply across the industry chain.

There will be stricter oversight ranging from manufacturing to sales and registration, as well as the replacement of outdated vehicles, according to the guidelines.

This move comes amid growing safety concerns over substandard e-bikes and unauthorized modifications, stoked by incidents involving e-bike fires and traffic accidents in recent years -- which were often linked to illegal retrofitting that can make e-bikes exceed speed limits.

To address these risks, China has already launched campaigns targeting safety hazards, while the new national standards will take effect on September 1.

Preliminary results have indicated positive progress. In the first half of 2025, the country recorded 7,048 e-bike-related fire incidents, a 44.7-percent decrease compared to the same period last year.

According to the MIIT, these guidelines aim to help manufacturers deliver compliant products to the market more quickly and accelerate the phasing out of non-conforming inventory. Efforts, notably, will be made to reinforce quality supervision endeavors and crack down on the production of non-compliant vehicles and illegal retrofitting.

Meanwhile, China will continue to offer subsidies aimed at encouraging consumers to replace outdated e-bikes. So far this year, nearly 9.06 million new e-bikes have been sold nationwide via the government trade-in program.