The Tianjin Municipal Market Supervision Commission has published the findings from its 2025 quality supervision and random inspection campaign targeting electric bicycles and their component parts. The inspection results are detailed as follows.
I. Basic Information A. Inspection Overview The supervision covered products including electric bicycles (including online sales), electric bicycle batteries, chargers, lights, and reflectors. A total of 224 product batches were inspected, revealing 5 non-compliant batches, resulting in a non-compliance rate of 2.2%.
B. Follow-up Inspection Status Follow-up inspections were conducted on 6 manufacturers whose products failed the 2024 Tianjin electric bicycle quality inspection. No non-compliant products were found from these manufacturers in the current inspection.
II. Analysis of Inspection Results A. Electric Bicycles (Including Online Sales) Inspections were carried out on 29 product batches from 21 manufacturers and 52 batches from 38 distributors and 2 online merchants within Tianjin. In total, 81 batches were inspected, with 2 batches found non-compliant, yielding a non-compliance rate of 2.5%. Key inspection items included labels and warnings, nameplates, speed limits, braking performance (dry conditions), total vehicle mass, structure, speed warning sound, electrical system, water resistance, short-circuit protection, interoperability for charging, wiring, protection against electric shock, connections, reflectors, and lighting and audible warning devices. Non-compliant items involved the speed warning sound, wiring, reflectors, and lighting/audible warning devices.
B. Electric Bicycle Batteries A total of 20 batches from 10 distributors in Tianjin were inspected. Key tests included 2-hour capacity, high-current discharge, energy density, low-temperature capacity, fast-charging capability, and explosion-proof capability. No non-compliant products were identified.
C. Electric Bicycle Chargers (Including Online Sales) Inspections covered 26 batches from 1 manufacturer, 1 vehicle assembly plant, 13 distributors, and 1 online merchant. Key tests involved case impact resistance, drop resistance, leakage current under operating temperature, electric strength, protection against electric shock, abnormal operation, over-temperature protection, overcharge cutoff, delayed cutoff, heat resistance, glow-wire test, and coding. No non-compliant products were found.
D. Electric Bicycle Lights A total of 81 batches from 13 manufacturers, 4 vehicle assembly plants, and 19 distributors were inspected. Three batches were non-compliant, resulting in a 3.7% non-compliance rate. The primary inspection focus was the lighting (photometric requirements). The non-compliance was related to the lighting (photometric requirements).
E. Electric Bicycle Reflectors Inspections covered 16 batches from 4 vehicle assembly plants and 6 distributors. The main test was for optical requirements. No non-compliant products were identified.
III. Potential Hazards and Primary Causes of Non-Compliance A. Electric Bicycles 1. Speed Warning Sound: Standards require an audible warning when a solely electric-powered bicycle reaches 22 km/h, with a sound pressure level between 52-65 dB(A). This alerts the rider to reduce speed for safety and warns pedestrians. A sound level that is too low fails to provide adequate warning, while a level that is too high contributes to noise pollution. The primary cause of non-compliance is manufacturers failing to conduct regular verification tests on the audible warning device. 2. Wiring: Standards specify requirements for copper conductor wires in circuits carrying over 200mA, minimum nominal cross-sectional areas based on maximum current, and specifications for wiring connecting battery cells/packs. This ensures electrical safety and prevents overheating, fire, or electric shock hazards. Non-compliance stems from inaccurate interpretation of standards and insufficient quality control during component procurement. 3. Lighting: Standards mandate the installation of front (low-beam) and rear lights (except for pedal-assist-only models), which must meet specific photometric requirements. This ensures adequate illumination and visibility for nighttime riding safety. The main cause of failure is lax quality control over components.
B. Electric Bicycle Lights Lighting (Photometric Requirements): Standards define the light distribution for front (low-beam) and rear lights to ensure sufficient illumination without blinding oncoming traffic and to make the bicycle's position and movement clear to others, enhancing nighttime safety. Failure is primarily due to poor optical design of the lights and inadequate quality control during component procurement.
IV. Work Requirements A. Enhanced Use of Regulatory Systems District market supervision bureaus must follow relevant laws and regulations to conduct follow-up procedures for manufacturers with non-compliant products. The status of these procedures must be promptly recorded in the Tianjin Industrial Product Quality Supervision System to enable fully online management of supervision and inspection workflows across municipal and district levels, thereby improving regulatory efficiency.
B. Strengthened Quality Follow-up Supervision The market supervision bureaus of Wuqing District, Jinghai District, and Beichen District are to intensify follow-up supervision and post-inspection handling for manufacturers with non-compliant products. Companies must implement thorough, targeted, effective, and timely corrective actions. Supervision and inspection efforts for non-compliant enterprises will be increased, utilizing enforcement and credit-based supervision to maintain strict quality oversight and address violations seriously. Companies are urged to fulfill their primary responsibility for product quality and safety.
The list of non-compliant products and enterprises from the 2025 inspection is provided.
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