Tag Archive: COP26

  1. Flemish Radio Interviews LEVA-EU Manager on E-Scooters with Saddle

    Comments Off on Flemish Radio Interviews LEVA-EU Manager on E-Scooters with Saddle

    The start of the European Mobility Week on 16 September is a unique opportunity to get acquainted with other more sustainable means of transport than the car. In that framework, the Flemish Radio 2 program “De Inspecteur” (The Inspector) interviewed LEVA-EU Manager, Annick Roetynck and Stef Willems (VIAS) about electric scooters with a saddle.

    “It’s complicated,” says Stef Willems of VIAS. “But the bottom line is that an e-scooter with a saddle is considered a moped in our country according to European and Belgian legislation. So, the only way to legally go on the road is with a number plate and helmet. You can in no way consider that vehicle as a regular e-scooter according to the law.”

    The police can fine you if you drive around with such a scooter without a number plate, or even confiscate your scooter, Willems warns. “The problem is that the people who buy e-scooters with saddles assume these are regular e-scooters, which allow them to go anywhere with them on the road. I have noticed that the sellers often do not clearly indicate that they are actually buying a moped.”

    Illegal e-scooters for sale

    We have seen that non-type-approved e-scooters are for sale on bol.com, says Willems. “Because they are not type-approved, you are under no circumstances allowed on public roads in Belgium. There is no certificate of conformity, so you can’t apply for a number plate. You can only drive around with it in your garden for instance. But the sellers don’t mention that.”

    There are also saddles for sale which you can mount on your e-scooter yourself, but that is not allowed either. “If you mount that saddle on your scooter, you are also not allowed on public roads, because here too you are in breach of European regulations.”

    Bol.com takes illegal steps offline

    At bol.com, they did not know that e-scooters with saddle are illegal, despite the fact that LEVA-EU had sent them a reasoned warning more than a year ago. The enquiry by the Flemish radio programme  “De Inspecteur”, convinces them to take immediate action. Tamara Vlootman tells “De Inspecteur”: “Our quality team will investigate this. Until then, we have taken the articles offline as a precaution. We will now look further into how we are going to approach that, maybe we will add a clear warning label.”

    Sellers be warned

    “We inform the companies about the correct legislation. It is all very complex but we call for the law to be respected,” says Annick Roetynck, from LEVA-EU, the professional association for light electric vehicles in Europe.

    “Some sellers actually don’t know the law; others choose not to know the law. They sometimes have the customers sign a paper to acknowledge that the e-scooters they are buying are not allowed on public roads. If an accident were to happen, they will not be able to avoid their liability.”

    Outdated law

    Annick Roetynck does not agree with the law at all. “The laws were made long ago, when there were only cars, motorcycles and mopeds with fossil fuels, but not with new vehicles in mind. That’s why you get strange situations for no reason, because an e-scooter with a saddle is largely the same as an e-scooter without a saddle. There is no justification for submitting them to two completely different legal frameworks.”

    That is why she hopes that the legislation will be changed: “Personally, I have been working for more than 20 years for accurate legislation for LEVS such as e-scooters with or without saddle but also electric bicycles-without pedals for instance. They all have a role to play in making mobility more sustainable. They have great potential in decarbonizing mobility in the fight against climate change. There is some good news: the European Commission has recognized that the legislation needs to be improved and we hope it to be amended within 2 or 3 years.”

    The radio-interview with Annick Roetynck is here: https://radio2.be/luister/select/de-inspecteur/sommige-elektrische-steps-zijn-illegaal-als-je-er-een-ongeval-mee-hebt-is-de-verkoper-mee-verantwoordelijk

  2. Call for Life Cycle Assessment Results of Light Electric vehicles

    Comments Off on Call for Life Cycle Assessment Results of Light Electric vehicles

    LEVA-EU in an alliance with the International Cargo Bike Festival and other partners representing the light electric mobility sector are commissioning expert research for the global COP26 climate conference. The research will be aimed at modelling what transport will look like if we succeed in meeting the Paris Agreement emissions commitments for transport. This will involve dramatic increases in the prevalence and use of light electric vehicles (LEVS), from e-scooters and e-(cargo)-cycles, through e-mopeds and motorcycles to 4-wheeled e-vehicles across all the EU L-category and what is excluded from this category.

    As part of this work, we are in need of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) figures for every category of these vehicles, many of which are not publicly available.

    Do you have a systematic analysis of the potential environmental impacts of your LEVs during their entire life cycle, or do you know of LCA results that others have available? Would you be willing to share them to contribute to this ground-breaking research, which will for the first time advocate the case for universal light mobility to a global audience? It would be extremely useful to receive LCA figures or suggestions of where these can be found. We will be able to use them on a named vehicle or, if desired, on an anonymous basis.

    The research will feature details on emissions from the various categories, and there will be opportunities to showcase specific vehicles and manufacturers both in publicity and in the final scientific report, to be launched in the run up to COP26 in Glasgow this November.

    If you can help, please get in touch with LEVA-EU Manager, Annick Roetynck, tel. +32 475 500 588, email annick@leva-eu.com.

    Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

  3. COP26 – Light Electric Vehicles – Urgent call for Emissions Research

    Comments Off on COP26 – Light Electric Vehicles – Urgent call for Emissions Research

    The 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26, is the 26th United Nations Climate Change conference. It is scheduled to be held in the city of Glasgow from 1 to 12 November 2021 under the presidency of the United Kingdom. This Conference is an unmissable opportunity to draw attention to what light electric vehicles can contribute to the fight against climate change. In this framework, LEVA-EU launches the following urgent call for research.

    Task: model the micromobility future

    The emissions case for the mass adoption of electric vehicles has been made, repeatedly and in detail. Some transport emissions modelling exercises have begun to include cycling as a factor. Few however have modelled the effect of recent mass adoption of e-bikes. To our awareness, none have incorporated the possible effect of optimal adoption of light mobility across the full range of vehicle sizes and categories. For LEVA-EU, light mobility includes all vehicles in the L-category as defined by Regulation 168/2013, as well as all vehicles excluded from the L-category as listed under Article 2.2 of the said Regulation.

    This call for research requests a rapid emissions modelling exercise to be completed for COP26 (11/21) to characterise a truly zero emission transport future, at least for the majority of journeys which are short, in the developed and developing world, currently using motor cars.

    If we place ourselves in the year 2030, and assume we successfully decimated transport emissions, while maintaining our mobility, what does the fleet look like? Which vehicles are we using and for which journeys? How, in emissions terms, did we get there?

    Time and resources

    This study needs to be completed by the end of September in order to allow aligned and targeted public documentation to be formulated, as well as a PR strategy for use in the run-up to COP26, te ensure the conclusions are communicated to Conference delegates, governments and media.

    To bring global credibility, it is felt that whilst the core modelling exercise will need to be undertaken by a small group with experience in the field, it would carry additional credibility if a consortium of authors representing all continents and major (emitting) countries acted as reviewers and co-signatories of this work.

    Deliverables

    The main deliverable for this commission is an interactive spreadsheet model of mobility as it needs to be in 2030 for the Paris Agreement emissions reductions scenario to have been met, primarily through a major modal shift away from the majority of short, slow and local journeys being taken by full-sized ICE vehicles to those journeys completed instead in sub-500 kg vehicles.
    A second deliverable is an accessible, interactive ‘data visualisation’ tool for decision makers, building on the model, that permits them to explore scenarios and self-educate as to why light mobility is the most expedient and least expensive solution to true zero emission personal and light goods transport.

    Are you interested in carrying out the study? Are you interested to review and/or co-sign? Please contact LEVA-EU Manager, Annick Roetynck, tel. +32 475 500 588, annick@leva-eu.com. The deadline for expression of interest is Friday 16th July.

    Funding opportunities

    This research will be part of a wider initiative aimed at encouraging research into different aspects of light, electric vehicles. Also, LEVA-EU will be working to facilitate networking between LEV-researchers. This initiative will create interesting and attractive funding opportunities (sponsorship). If you are already convinced of the need to invest in LEV-research and how research can help your business grow and prosper, please contact Annick Roetynck for further details.

Campaign success

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.

Member profile

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.