Beijing News: Understanding the New E-Bike Regulations
On Sep 1, new e-bike regulations issued as part of the updated “Safety Technical Specification for Electric Bicycle” (《电动自行车安全技术规范》) went into effect. The updated standards, which were issued by the National Standardization Administration (SAC) and the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) on Dec 31, 2024, are of the GB (国标 guóbiāo “National Standard”) classification, the highest tier in the Chinese standards system, indicating a mandatory national standard.
The new standards update the previous iteration of electric bicycle standards that had been in place since 2019.
The new standards cover a range of categories, including safety standards, testing requirements and markings, but the TL;DR is this: If you have already purchased an e-bike, you are not (at this time, anyway) required to stop using it or to replace it. The new standards are targeted mainly at manufacturers and sellers, and aim to gradually shift the e-bike industry towards greater safety and compliance. Below are some of the biggest takeaways from the new rules.
What Is an Electric Bicycle/E-Bike?
First, let’s review what exactly is meant by the terms “electric bicycle” or “e-bike.” The official standards define “electronic bike” as “a two-wheeled bicycle that uses onboard batteries as its energy source to achieve electric drive and/or electric assist functions.”
What Are the Rules?
A comprehensive list of standards can be found in the “Safety Technical Specification for Electric Bicycle” (《电动自行车安全技术规范》), and specific standards mainly belong to the manufacturing and testing side of things; however, the full extent of the standards, specifications and technical details is too large to include in this post. At the end of this post, however, we present a very (very!) small handful of the marking and safety requirements that may be of particular interest to e-bike riders. Scroll down to A Few Points From the New E-Bike Standards to read them.
Who Is Affected and When?
Who and what the new standards affect can broadly be organized into three groups: manufacturers, sellers and consumers (you). For each group, different requirements and implementation deadlines apply.
- Manufacturers – Implementation: Sep 1, 2025
All new electric bicycles produced on or after Sep 1, 2025, must meet the requirements of the new national standard. - Sellers – Implementation: Dec 1, 2025
All electric bicycle products imported or sold on or after Dec 1, 2025, must comply with the new standard requirements. - Consumers
Currently, there do not seem to be any particular new requirements specifically for consumers/owners of e-bikes. At the present moment, it appears possible both to keep an e-bike purchased before Sep 1 and to purchase a non-conforming e-bike before Dec 1. However, we cannot guarantee that it will last. Stay alert to possible updates on requirements for e-bike owners.
How Can I Choose a New E-Bike Under the New Regulations?
Look for the CCC symbol
Electric bicycles for sale should be certified and marked with the CCC logo on the body, indicating that the electric bicycle has been certified by the designated certification body and meets the requirements of the mandatory national standards.
Examine the product certification
For further verification of the authenticity of the product certificate and the validity of the CCC certification, scan the QR code on the product certificate or log on to the National Certification and Accreditation Information Public Service Platform (cx.cnca.cn) for confirmation.
A Few Points From the New E-Bike Standards
The full details are extensive and in some cases extremely technical. The following are a few simplified highlights. Consult the original document for a comprehensive understanding.
Nameplate
The electric bicycle's nameplate should indicate in Chinese information such as product name (electric bicycles, electric assisted bicycles, etc.), model, manufacturer's name or trademark, production date/manufacturing date, battery type (lead-acid batteries, lithium manganese oxide batteries, lithium manganese iron phosphate batteries, lithium iron phosphate batteries, sodium ion batteries, etc.).
The nameplate should also indicate in Chinese the recommended service life, in the format of "The recommended service life of this vehicle is X years” (“本车建议使用年限为×年”).
The recommended service life of electric bicycles is determined by the manufacturer based on various factors such as the service life of the vehicle's main components and electrical circuits, aging speed, etc.
Electric bicycles used for commercial activities such as urban logistics and leasing should be labeled with “commercial" (“商用”) or the character "商 ” on the nameplate.
The content indicated on the nameplate should be standardized, clear, durable, and easy to identify.
Vehicle Code
The unique vehicle code of each electric bicycle should be permanently marked on the prominent surface of the front pipe or the middle joint of the electric bicycle frame body that cannot be separated.
The frame body refers to the material that constitutes the frame. If the code is engraved on other materials and then welded to the frame, it does not belong to the frame body.
The vehicle code adopts a 15-digit all-digital code structure, consisting of four parts from left to right: enterprise code, vehicle type code, production year code, and production serial number code.
Index symbol explanation:
X1X2X3X4 : Manufacturer code
X5 : Vehicle type code
- 2 represents electric bicycles with only electric drive function
- 3 represents electric bicycles with only electric assist function
- 4 represents electric bicycles with both electric drive function and electric assist function
Commercial and urban logistics:
- 7 – electric bicycles with only electric drive function
- 8 – electric bicycles with only electric assist function
- 9 – electric bicycles with both electric drive function and electric assist function
X6X7 : Production year code represented by the last two digits of the Gregorian calendar and allocated by the manufacturer based on the production year of the electric bicycle
X8X9X10X11X12X13X14X15 : Production serial number code assigned by the manufacturer
Motor Code
The motor code should include information on the motor power and rated voltage, should be permanently engraved on the motor housing, and should be easy to see and read.
License Plate Installation Position
E-bikes should have a convenient location in the rear for installing license plates, with two mounting holes and a center-to-center distance of 80mm.
Product Certificate
The product qualification certificate should clearly indicate in Chinese information such as the following:
- The product name
- Model
- Manufacturer or trademark
- Production plant and address
- Production date/manufacturing date
- Vehicle code
- Electric motor code
- Driving mode (electric drive and/or electric assist)
- Maximum design speed
- Vehicle mass
- Electric motor power and rated voltage
- Battery type
- Length/width/height
- Front and rear wheel center distance
- Nameplate fixed position
- Vehicle code position
- Recommended service life
- Whether it is used for urban logistics or commercial leasing and other business activities
- Vehicle photos
- China Compulsory Certification (CCC) certificate number
The above information should be represented in the product qualification certificate using a QR code, which should comply with the provisions of GB/T18284.
Bicycle Safety
When driving with the electric drive function, the maximum speed should not exceed the maximum design speed, and the maximum design speed should not exceed 25km/h.
With either electric drive or electric assist function, if the vehicle speed exceeds 25km/h, the electric motor should not provide power output. (Under continuous downhill driving and other conditions, the vehicle speed may possibly exceed 25km/h).
Electric bicycles with only an electric drive function should have a speed prompt sound and when the driving speed reaches 22km/h, the prompt sound should be continuously emitted.
The braking performance of electric bicycles should meet the requirements below and stop smoothly and safely within the corresponding maximum corrected braking distance.
Dry conditions
Test speed: 25km/h
Double break: 7m
Single rear break: 15m
Wet conditions
Test speed: 16km/h
Double break: 5m
Single rear break: 10m
The overall weight of fully assembled electric bicycles using lead-acid batteries should be less than or equal to 63kg, and the overall weight of other types of fully assembled electric bicycles should be less than or equal to 55kg.
Electric bicycles that can use electric assist function should have a pedal riding device and a pedal power device.
The installation of rearview mirrors is encouraged.
Pipes and rigid components that exist in the form of protrusions and can cause harm to the user should be protected.
Mechanical Safety
Electric bicycles should be equipped with rear reflectors and side reflectors, and electric bicycles with pedal riding function should also have pedal reflectors.
Electric bicycles should be equipped with a horn device, and the sound pressure level of the horn device should be between 75 dB (A) and 100 dB (A).
Electric bikes should be equipped with front (low beam) and rear lights.
Electrical Safety
The safety of batteries and battery packs using other electrochemical systems for electric bicycles should comply with the corresponding mandatory standards. The nominal voltage indicated on the battery pack of an electric bicycle can usually be selected as 24V, 36V, or 48V, and the indicated value should not exceed 48V.
The maximum output voltage of the battery pack for electric bicycles should be less than or equal to 60V.
Plastic Proportion
The total mass of plastic used in electric bicycles should not exceed 5.5 percent of the total vehicle mass.
Beidou Positioning Function
Electric bicycles used for urban logistics, commercial leasing, and other operational activities should have a Beidou module that is installed in fixed components of the electric bicycle that are not easily damaged, with anti-disassembly and anti-tampering functions.
Beidou Satellite Navigation System (BDS) is a global satellite navigation system developed, constructed, and managed by China to provide users with real-time three-dimensional position, velocity, and time information.
The bikes of non-commercial or operational consumers should have a Beidou module, but users can choose whether to keep it during sales.
Communication Dynamic Safety Monitoring
Electric bicycles should have 4G or 5G public network communication modules, or other similar communication modules. The communication module should be installed in a fixed component of the electric bicycle that is not easily damaged, and it should have anti-disassembly and anti-tampering functions.
Electric bicycles should have the function of sending the following dynamic safety monitoring information to the information management platform established by the manufacturing enterprise:
- Single battery voltage information
- Total voltage, temperature, and current information of the battery pack
- Abnormal voltage of the battery pack (battery pack voltage exceeds the maximum output voltage of the battery pack by 3V)
- Abnormal temperature of the battery pack (temperature exceeding the manufacturer's specified temperature by 5° C, if the manufacturer does not specify a temperature, take 80° C as the limit)
- Beidou positioning information
- Abnormal information of Beidou positioning function;
- Abnormal speed converted from motor speed (driving speed exceeding the maximum design speed of 0.5km/h for more than 15 seconds).
Anti-Tampering
Electric bicycles should have tamper-proof electric bicycle battery packs. They should not reserve interfaces or lines for expanding onboard batteries, and they should not have external battery pack holders.
Helmets
Electric bicycles should be equipped with compliant electric bicycle passenger helmets.
Where Can I Find More Information?
You can download a PDF of the Chinese version of the updated standards on the website of the National Public Service Platform for Standards Information (全国标准信息公共服务平台) at https://std.samr.gov.cn/.
In the search bar, enter “GB17761-2024” and then click on the link to view the newest standards.
Click on the link to the newest standards.
Click on the button to view the document.
Click the blue button to view the document online or the orange button to download a copy.
The QR code below will also take you straight to the page where you can view the document.
For the curious, more details about Chinese standards, as well as a searchable database of published standards and information, can be found at ChineseStandards.net. A PDF preview of the English translation of the recent e-bike standards and past versions and similar standards are also available on the site (the full downloadable PDF of the English translation is available for purchase on the website if you are moved to pay USD 605 for it...).
Use the official standards number of the most recent rules, GB 17761-2024, to search the above resource.
READ: October 2025 Holiday Dates Reminder
Images: National Public Service Platform for Standards Information, SAC, SAMR, Beijing Xinwen, Abigail Weathers, Unsplash (lead image)
