Ms Victoria Springthorpe:

All our newest vehicles have that rating and all the operators in the industry represented here have vehicles with power ratings greater than 250 W. The reason we asked for a higher power rating concerns durability in hilly terrain. We do not want to have situations where lower-powered e-scooters cannot go up certain hills. It is problematic because it is a safety issue. It would also prevent feature innovation in respect of safety technology. Only two countries in Europe have 250 W as a power standard. None has done that though primary legislation, but through secondary legislation or as a legacy from bikes and e-bikes. Those jurisdictions still allow operators with larger vehicles to operate. Therefore, we recommend taking an approach similar to France, which allows unlimited wattage but where there are restrictions on the permissible speed and acceleration, or adopting what is done in markets like Spain and allowing a higher rating of 500 W or 750 W.