United States

There is no US equivalent of CE

European buyers arrive expecting a single conformity mark and a declaration. The US does not work that way. Market access is assembled from several independent requirements, and the commercially decisive ones are not federal regulations at all.

UL is the gate, in practice

UL 2271 covers the battery; UL 2849 covers the complete e-bike electrical system. Neither is a federal mandate in the way CE marking is an EU legal requirement — but that distinction has become academic.

Major retailers and marketplaces increasingly require UL certification as a condition of listing or supply. Insurers ask about it. And several jurisdictions have legislated: New York City moved to require certified batteries for e-bikes sold and used commercially after a series of fires, and other cities and states have followed or proposed similar rules.

The practical consequence is that UL has shifted from a differentiator to a floor. And unlike a self-declaration, UL involves third-party testing plus ongoing factory surveillance, so it carries lead time that cannot be compressed by moving a launch date.

Note also the split: UL 2271 on the pack does not give you UL 2849 on the system, and the system certificate is held against a defined combination of battery, charger, motor, and controller. It belongs to whoever owns the complete bike — normally you.

Where federal rules do apply

Transport. Lithium batteries move as Class 9 dangerous goods under the DOT hazardous materials rules, which implement the same UN38.3 testing regime used internationally. An SDS travels with the shipment.

Radio. FCC obligations attach only if the pack transmits. A wired BMS is an unintentional radiator with lighter obligations; a Bluetooth BMS is an intentional radiator requiring certification and an FCC ID. Adding an app to your product adds a certification project.

Consumer product safety. The CPSC has authority over e-bikes and batteries as consumer products, including recall powers, and has been increasingly vocal about micromobility battery fires.

Our fuller treatment is in US compliance under DOT and UL.

Sequencing advice

Raise UL at enquiry, not after sample approval. It constrains cell selection, enclosure construction, and protection architecture — a pack designed without it in view may need changes to pass. Raising it early costs nothing; raising it late costs a redesign and a season.

What we ship with a US order

UN38.3 test summary and SDS as standard. UL 2271 and FCC are available on request as scheduled work, quoted with their own timelines, and we will tell you up front where your intended specification is likely to need adjustment to pass.