E-scooter tests expose gaps in Austria’s 600-watt limit

All 10 e-scooters tested by the Austrian mobility club ÖAMTC exceeded Austria’s legal 600-watt maximum output, ORF Wien reported on Friday. Experts are calling for clearer rules based on international models.

Austria’s Road Traffic Act sets a maximum speed of 25 kilometres per hour and maximum output of 600 watts for e-scooters. Maximum output means the highest power a scooter can deliver once, unlike nominal continuous power, which is the highest output it can provide regularly over 30 minutes, ÖAMTC traffic lawyer Matthias Wolf said on the programme Wien heute.

The wattage determines the motor’s power and affects acceleration, the ability to climb hills and riding behaviour under load. Wolf said the 600-watt limit could be impractical because a heavier person would have difficulty riding up an incline.

Confusing terms and measurement methods

Consumers face inconsistent information about the performance of e-scooters. Most manufacturers give the maximum output, often called peak output, but the figure does not appear to be measured or labelled consistently.

“The law uses different terms from technicians and from the companies placing the products on the market,” said Armin Kaltenegger of the traffic safety board KfV. The terms include nominal continuous power, maximum output, useful power and maximum useful power, he said.

Even consumers who focus on one of these terms may not find it in the product information when making a purchase, Kaltenegger said.

Wolf said the ÖAMTC was receiving a large number of inquiries from consumers who did not know how much power their e-scooters had or whether they should buy a model with a higher wattage. In some cases, even the ÖAMTC could not answer those questions, he said.

The Road Traffic Act does not specify what the legislature means by maximum output. In a written statement to ORF Wien, the Mobility Ministry said the figure was determined using the standard procedure under United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Regulation No. 85.

However, the ministry said manufacturers often use other measurement methods, partly for competitive reasons, which can lead to differences in the stated figures. The law itself does not mention the testing procedure.

The ministry advised consumers to check with retailers when buying an e-scooter that the product meets the applicable requirements of the Road Traffic Act.

Manufacturers’ figures often appear too high

An importer and manufacturer from Styria is now having its devices tested under the UNECE Regulation No. 85 procedure. The measured output was less than half the manufacturer’s stated maximum output.

As a result, many e-scooters in Austria appear to be illegal even though they can legally be used, said Philipp Oswald, chief executive of comscoot, to ORF Wien.

According to Oswald, manufacturers generally base their figures on calculated maximum output. His company now describes the theoretical peak output of its e-scooters as a “performance feature”, adding another term to the existing terminology. The company also provides a certificate for each tested e-scooter, although this is not yet available at all sales outlets.

Most e-scooters on sale are advertised using manufacturers’ power figures, which for newer models are often well above 600 watts. The ÖAMTC’s latest annual test confirmed this with all 10 tested scooters exceeding the permitted maximum output.

“Practice and what the legislature wants are completely drifting apart,” Wolf said. Manufacturers stated maximum outputs above 1,000 watts for most of the e-scooters tested, yet the models remain on sale and are being used on the roads.