IEC plans unified standards for electric scooters

A newly founded Technical Committee of the international electrotechnical standardisation organisation IEC will develop uniform standards for electric pedal scooters, monowheels and electric kick scooters starting in autumn this year.

According to communication notice from the Austrian Association for Electrical Engineering (OVE), the result should be uniform international requirements for manufacturers and users. This is not only about the safety and reliability of vehicles, charging stations and rechargeable batteries, but also about recycling.

According to the Austrian association, there were around 200 accidents involving such vehicles in the Vienna area alone in the fourth quarter of 2018. The danger not only comes from the careless use of electric kick scooters, but also from technical malfunctions. In Zurich, for example, a rental service had to recall its scooters because they stopped abruptly while driving.

But although scooters have had a little bad press lately, the OVE does not want to condemn the electric pedal scooters. “It’s hard to imagine public space without them,” says Christian Gabriel, Head of Standardisation at the OVE. “It is high time that uniform standards ensure optimum safety. Minimum standards can help to significantly reduce the number of accidents.”

The first meeting of the new TC 125 Technical Committee will take place on 23 and 24 September in Brussels.

ove.at (German)