On 6 August the federal government directed the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to develop a nationally consistent safety standard for e-bikes under the Australian Consumer Law, with e-scooters and e-skateboards to follow. The ACCC is due to report early next year. In an analysis published on 28 August, University of Queensland researcher Dr Richard Buning, who leads the UQ Micromobility Research Cluster, set out what that standard needs to contain if it is going to fix the problem rather than just describe it.
How overpowered bikes got in
Buning traces the issue to 2021, when e-bikes were removed from the federal definition of a road vehicle. The unintended result was that high-powered machines could be imported freely as long as they were nominally for private property use. Imports surged, speeds above 50 km/h became common, and states were left writing reactive laws with no control over what crossed the border. Consumers, meanwhile, have been left to work out which of two very different products sold under the same e-bike label they are actually buying.
He is careful to separate the two. A compliant pedelec (250 watts, assistance cutting out at 25 km/h) carries risks similar to a conventional bicycle. The injury and death figures that dominate the debate do not distinguish that bike from a modified throttle machine, which he argues is unfair to the compliant product and unhelpful for policy.
What the standard should include
- A clear definition of an e-bike as a pedal-powered vehicle ridden like a bike. Anything with a throttle that does not need pedalling should not be allowed to be marketed as a bicycle
- Coverage of the whole electrical system, not just the battery cells, with certified replacement batteries and chargers and a ban on universal chargers
- Tamper-resistant speed and power controls, and a ban on aftermarket modification kits
- Independent testing, certification, supplier traceability and workable recall processes
- Responsibility placed on overseas online marketplaces and importers, so it cannot all be shifted to the buyer
- Frames, brakes and tyres rated for the bike's weight, cargo and performance, and a possible separate class for higher-powered delivery vehicles that would need registration and licensing like a motorcycle
- Point-of-sale information on power, assisted speed, where the bike can legally be ridden and how to charge and store it
Why it matters for buyers
The federal media release frames the standard as giving consumers confidence that what they buy is legal and fit for purpose, and it builds on the transport ministers' decision to adopt the European EN 15194 standard as the benchmark for road use. Buning's point is that a standard which does not close the definitional gap will leave retailers free to keep selling electric motorbikes as bikes, and the states policing the result on the street. Get it right, he argues, and dangerous devices become harder to buy while compliant e-bikes become easier to trust.
Sources
- University of Queensland, Australia opened the door to dangerous e-bikes (Dr Richard Buning, 28 August 2026)
- Ministers King and Leigh, stronger product safety standards for e-bikes (6 August 2026)
- ACCC Product Safety, e-bikes, e-scooters and other e-micromobility devices
The analysis is Dr Buning's, published by UQ News on 28 August 2026 and originally in The Conversation. The government's direction to the ACCC and its timing are from the joint ministerial release of 6 August 2026.