THE Victorian government’s decision to reject a coroner’s recommendation on e-bike registration following a fatal incident has been criticised by the state’s peak automotive body.

In objecting to the state government’s decisions, the Victorian Automotive Chamber of Commerce (VACC) warned that Victoria had missed an opportunity to lead the nation on road safety.

The VACC said that in July 2025, coroner Audrey Jamieson recommended the government consider “methods to identify non-compliant e-bicycles, including those which may seem radical – such as requiring the registration of all e-bicycles” following her investigation into the death of Nitin Haldipur Prabhu, who was riding a non-compliant e-bike.However, in formal responses to the Coroner’s Court, both Victoria police and the Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) rejected the implementation of an e-bike registration scheme.

DTP acting executive director Fiona Green said that registration “is not being actively considered at this time” because it “would be costly and may be a major disincentive to riding, consequently discouraging active transport.”

VACC CEO Peter Jones said the decision represented a concerning reluctance to act on a coroner’s safety recommendation.

“A coroner made this recommendation following a death. The government has rejected it. We believe that’s a tragic missed opportunity to prevent future deaths,” Mr Jones said.

VACC CEO Peter Jones

“The government says this is ‘too hard and too costly.’ That’s not good enough when lives are at stake.”

The VACC said that significantly, both agencies acknowledged the core enforcement problem. 

Victoria police’s response stated that “identification remains a barrier” and that “it is difficult for general duties and other frontline police members to detect non-compliant e-bicycles.”

While Victoria police noted they can detect some violations, such as e-bikes travelling over 25km/h, they confirmed that non-compliant e-bikes are legally “required to be registered as motor vehicles” but acknowledged there is no practical system to enforce this requirement.

“Both Victoria police and the transport department acknowledge identification is the key problem, but they’ve rejected the solution that would fix it,” Mr Jones said.

“Victoria police say ‘identification remains a barrier’ – registration would remove that barrier.”

The VACC said it was particularly focused on the safety risks posed by commercial e-bike fleets operating in Melbourne, many of which exceed the legal limits of 250 watts and 25 km/h, rendering them technically motor vehicles.

“This isn’t about recreational riders or discouraging active transport – it’s about commercial delivery operations using vehicles that operate like motorcycles,” Mr Jones said.

The chamber also highlighted the consumer protection issue revealed in the case. DTP’s response acknowledged that Mr Prabhu “apparently did not know that he had purchased a non-compliant e-bicycle, which demonstrates the need to ensure safe devices are being sold to consumers.”

Mr Jones said: “Even the government admits Mr Prabhu didn’t know his e-bike was illegal. Registration would protect consumers and enable enforcement.”

Ms Green cited that registration is not used by any Australian state or territory, nor by most international jurisdictions. However, VACC argues Victoria should not wait for other states to act first.

DTP acting executive director Fiona Green

“Victoria has always led the nation on road safety initiatives. We shouldn’t be waiting for other states when we have a clear recommendation from a coroner,” Mr Jones said.

While acknowledging the government’s intention to pursue better national standards through engagement with the federal government, VACC believes Victoria should implement state-based registration for commercial e-bikes immediately rather than waiting for potentially lengthy national reforms.

The chamber’s research partnership with Monash University recently documented the scope of non-compliant e-bike use in Melbourne’s CBD.

The study found that only four per cent of delivery e-bikes were observed pedalling – suggesting many are throttle-powered or modified beyond legal specifications.

Speeds up to 54 km/h were recorded, with almost one in five exceeding 25 km/h; at some sites, this rose to one in three. 

VACC continues to advocate for targeted registration of commercial e-bikes, mandatory safety checks, and more substantial penalties for operators using non-compliant vehicles in commercial operations.

Footnote: In another more recent fatality, a 14-year-old boy died in a collision at 10 pm at night between his e-bike and a four-wheel drive vehicle in Diamond Creek, north-east of Melbourne.