Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by aidenn0 1023 days ago
Probably because I live in a detached home, but I kind of don't care if somebody else's bike catches on fire, but I strongly care if they are going to be going to be going over 50kph on a MUP. Even so, I think certification is a poor way of addressing the issue, since people modify the firmware of mass-manufactured ebikes all the time.
2 comments

> since people modify the firmware of mass-manufactured ebikes all the time

They certainly try. Some bikes are better protected than others and part of the certification process is to verify it isn't trivial to hack the bikes. And if this is found to be the case after the fact certification can be withdrawn, retroactively so manufacturers have a lot riding on getting this right.

Note that in plenty of places nobody cares, but in some countries authorities are strict (and getting ever stricter).

MUP = multi-use path (shared between pedestrians and cyclists)