Rad Power Bikes has designed its latest e-bikes from the ground-up to sport the L1e-A specification of motor – meaning that in the UK it's subject to additional legislation.
As you might remember from our guide a while back, any motor that has an output of more than 250w, or can assist to more than 25km/h, results in an e-bike needing to be registered as a motor vehicle in the UK (basically, a moped), with all the accompanying restrictions and laws attached to it.
The L1e-A specification is nothing new, but Rad Power is the first to design its bikes from the ground-up to meet this market, rather than the standard 250w/25km/h pedelecs that we see much more of, or the 350W/45km/h s-pedelecs that are increasingly common on the continent.
The brand’s bikes – the RadRhino fat e-bike and RadWagon cargo e-bike – both sport a 750w output motor. The RadRhino features a Bafang geared hub model, while the RadWagon has a Shengyi direct drive hub motor.
Handily, the company itself explains what’s required in your given country (including the UK) to get yourself legally on the road on its website, as well as offer a contact email to offer registry advice, while it tells us that there are “a number of bikes” already registered in the UK. They won’t do it for you, mind, so make sure you know your beans before investing in a RadRhino or RadWagon. As we learnt with a speed pedelec, it's a bit of an involved process.
A RadRhino will cost €1,899, while the RadWagon will come in at €1,999, subject to exchange rates. And, the good news is (certainly for the time being at least in the UK) that the bikes will be shipped free of charge within the EU.
