Beno, the company developing the Reevo hubless e-bike, announced in their November 4th update on Indiegogo that their e-bike will meet the Underwriters Laboratory (UL) 2849 standard for e-bikes. This is a major benefit and value added for people who have already backed the bike (the Reevo is offered on crowdfunding site, Indiegogo) or plan to buy one once production begins.
I find it impressive that a start-up e-bike company sees the value of third-party testing. This investment sends their backers a clear message that the company is serious about the safety of their electrical drivetrain system, battery system and charger system combination. This happens at a time when established players in the bicycle and e-bike industry are slow to adopt the UL 2849 standard or any other third-party-safety certification. Kudos to Beno.
I am not a big fan of the risks involved in backing products presented on Indiegogo (follow the saga of Park & Diamond Helmets for one such horror story) but this announcement from Beno clearly shows a strong commitment to bringing a high-quality product to market. I still stick to my initial buying advice to wait for the second generation Reevo. While I’m impressed with the company, there is so much uncharted technology used to pull off the unique hubless design, it seems very risky to commit to the company’s first offering.