Despite the proliferation of new types of personal mobility devices (PMDs) coming to the market in recent years, no harmonised European regulations govern their technical characteristics beyond the general requirements contained in the Machinery Directive/Regulation. This PMD-project, undertaken by fka and TRL on behalf of the European Commission, was aimed at investigating whether creating a harmonised European PMD regulation would be feasible and desirable. The key objectives of the work were to:

1. Develop a classification of existing PMDs to determine groups of devices and common criteria based on design elements,
2. Undertake a detailed analysis of the market share and rise of the various PMDs to determine those that would most benefit from EU-wide rules,
3. Undertake an analysis of available data and information on crashes involving PMDs,
4. Assess the impact on market development of the fragmented pieces of legislation in terms of both technical and road traffic rules across the EU
5. Develop regulatory options for common technical safety design requirements on the basis of the obtained classification and interlinks with existing pieces of EU legislation.

A range of investigative methods were employed including stakeholder engagement with representatives from the PMD industry, regional and national regulators and road safety organisations, a review of national and European collision data and research, and a review of relevant European and national regulations and standards.

Four regulatory options were proposed:

1. Do nothing
2. Amend Regulation (EU) No 168/2013 to bring PMDs within its scope
3. Develop a bespoke approval system for specific groups of PMD
4. Develop a universal approval system for all PMDs

Of these, option 4 is recommended as the solution which would provide the greatest benefit with the least disruption.

While Electrically Power Assisted Cycles (EPACs) are a type of PMD, they already have a system of European and national regulations that are functioning effectively and are therefore least in need of a new European regulatory system. While they could be included in a universal approval framework this should be considered as a later step once the system is functioning effectively for those PMDs which currently lack effective harmonised regulations.

The PMD industry is highly innovative and is quickly developing novel PMD concepts. With this in mind, no rigid classification system is proposed, instead it is proposed to separate PMDs from L category vehicles based on speed (max 25km/h) and mass (maximum 250kg laden). No power limits are proposed, but instead a maximum acceleration limit of 2m/s2 under all load conditions would apply.

Technical requirements are proposed for:
• Maximum permitted mass
• Payload
• Structural integrity
• Battery safety
• Stability and controllability
• Speed regulation
• Maximum acceleration
• Braking
• Lighting
• Audible warning devices
• Anti-tampering
• Electromagnetic compatibility
• Moisture ingress

A graduated approval scheme is proposed in which manufacturers could undertake much of the required testing themselves provided they met requirements for quality assurance requirements. It is foreseen that market surveillance will be required to ensure that products placed on the market are safe and of adequate quality. The need for market surveillance is unlikely to be affected significantly by the regulatory option chosen.

The full report is here: https://op.europa.eu/s/zZjq

LEVA-EU’s first reaction to this report is here: https://shorturl.at/p6u1P