On the 3rd of April 2019, the German Bundestag passed the Small Electric Vehicle Ordinance. The Federal Council is expected to deal with the regulation on 17 May 2019. The approval is considered certain, so that the ordinance is expected to come into force this spring.
The Electric Small Vehicle Ordinance is intended to enable "electrically powered vehicles without seats and self-balancing vehicles" to participate in public road traffic. This refers to so-called e-scooters or electric pedal-scooters, the use of which can already be observed today on sidewalks and roads in many German cities. So far, driving such a small electric vehicle has been an offence.
Miniature electric vehicles in the sense of the regulation
- reach a maximum speed of 20 km/h due to their design,
- have a steering or holding bar,
- have a power limit of 500 watts (1,400 watts for self-balancing vehicles), and
- require an insurance sticker.
For very small electric vehicles, the first priority is to obtain a general operating permit from the Federal Motor Transport Authority.
In order to avoid costly product recalls, you should also subject your very small electric vehicle to a comprehensive product compliance check (e.g. CE conformity, REACH, RoHS, RAPEX).
We will be happy to help you conquer the German market with your miniature electric vehicle.
