For the past several months, Kunming traffic police have been furiously registering electric bikes and scooters. As tidily addressed in the GoKunming forums two months ago by users Ocean and Xiefei, the deadline for registration is April 15. If you are one of potentially hundreds of thousands of people in the Spring City who still need to add your name and conveyance to the official list, we've prepared a quick primer. Good luck.

First off, let's address the confusion over what constitutes an 'ebike' here in Kunming. National standards promulgated by Beijing say any two-wheeled, electrically powered vehicle weighing more than 55 kilograms, longer than 125 centimeters or able to reach speeds greater than 25 kilometers per hour, is a motor vehicle. This definition was originally announced May 12, 2018 and will go into effect nationwide as of April 15, 2019.

If you manage to register your ebike in Kunming — regardless of size and velocity — before the April 15 cutoff, your big shiny, battery powered steed will be exempt from the new Beijing rules until 2023. Current ebikes falling below these specifications for size and power will remain legally defined as ebikes. Expectations are that bigger, burly versions will be phased out of showrooms nationally in the very near future. So, how do you register your larger ebike so you can use it for a few more years?

Every Kunming owner of an ebike larger than 55 kilograms, longer than 125 centimeters, or able to hit speeds above 25/kph who haven't already registered, must present personal identification — national ID cards for native Chinese, passports for foreigners — along with the receipt obtained when the bike was purchased. Those who no longer have their bills of sale are still able to register by writing an explanation of their situation and submitting it when they register their ebike.

You must also bring the ebike itself and a document called hegezheng (合格证), the latter of which is basically a certificate declaring your bike was legally manufactured and purchased. Retailers are required to issue these at the time of purchase. Gather up all of these documents, as well as your trusty ebike, and head to register at your local Traffic Police station. The entire process is free.

Ok, I've got my documents and cleared my calendar, where do I go? Below is a list of Traffic Police stations currently handling the surge in registrations. Working hours for all locations are listed as 8:30am–5pm, including weekends. The following addresses are, in order, for Kunming Traffic Police stations numbered one through ten, followed by each one's relevant phone number. This information was taken directly from the Kunming Traffic Police official WeChat account.

Registration locations

234 Dongjiawan (董家湾234号)
0871—63311440

18 Renmin Xi Lu (人民西路18号)
0871—65346110

60 Qixiang Lu (气象路60号)
0871—63620110

136 Minxing Lu, Xishan District (西山区民兴路136号)
0871—68217500

45 Kunluo Gong Lu (昆洛公路45号)
0871—67266710

14 Bijiang Lu, Jiang'an Complex, Wuhua District (五华区江岸小区碧江路14号)
0871—65199110

36 Dianchi Lu (滇池路36号)
0871—64101110

15 Guanping Lu (关平路15号)
0871—67190200

Xihua Bei Lu, inside Kunming School of Hygiene (西华北路昆明市卫生学校内)
0871—68184129

Xingdu International Headquarters, New Asia Sports City, building 50 (官渡区新亚洲体育城星都国际总部50栋1楼)
0871—67339114

Owners of ebikes that remain unregistered after April 15 are subject to fines of up to 500 yuan and the possible confiscation of their ebikes. Once the national law is put into effect, ebikes over the size and speed capacity limits mentioned above will be classified as motorcycles. As such, drivers will be required to obtain a different vehicle license, as well as purchase proper insurance.

Image: The Paper

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