Today the Minister for Infrastructure, Nichola Mallon MLA, will bring The Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycles (Construction and Use) Regulations (NI) 2020 to the Assembly aka eBikes.
The existing law on eBikes in Northern Ireland treats them as motor vehicles, (specifically mopeds). This means that there are tax, registration and licensing requirements for owners before they can ride them on public roads. But, in the rest of the United Kingdom many types of e-bikes have been exempt from these rules since 1983.
If passed by the Assembly these new regulations will bring Northern Ireland into line with the rest of the United Kingdom. They outline the types of eBikes that will now be exempt from the tax, registration and licensing requirements.
