pedelec

P3E1D2E1L1E1C3

noun

A bicycle with an electric motor which assists the rider but only while they are pedalling.

Scrabble 12

Meanings

nounpedelec (plural pedelecs)

plural pedelecs

  1. informalA bicycle with an electric motor which assists the rider but only while they are pedalling.

    At intersections, the crash involvement of pedelecs was twice as high compared to the conventional bicycle; car drivers did not give priority to the pedelec

    2024, Marjolein Boele-Vos & Ingrid van Schagen (SWOV), European Commission (2024). Road safety thematic report – Cyclists. European Road Safety Observatory. Brussels, European Commission, Directorate General for Transport., European Union,
    3 more examples

    The need of using the pedelec as a multipurpose vehicle was also discussed: As far as the infrastructure was concerned, the central issues were battery change and battery loading stations as well as a possible leasing model for batteries because they were considered to be the most expensive spare spart of the bike.

    2013, Michael Hülsmann, Dirk Fornahl, Evolutionary Paths Towards the Mobility Patterns of the Future, Springer Science & Business Media, →ISBN, page 126

    In this report cyclists are defined as users of a conventional bicycle or a pedelec/e-bike, i.e., an electric powered bicycle offering pedal assistance up to approximately 25 km/h

    2024, Marjolein Boele-Vos & Ingrid van Schagen (SWOV), European Commission (2024). Road safety thematic report – Cyclists. European Road Safety Observatory. Brussels, European Commission, Directorate General for Transport., European Union,

    In this report, cyclists are defined as users of a conventional bicycle or an e-bike, formally called pedelec. A conventional bike is solely human-powered while an e-bike is a bicycle that delivers power when the cyclist pushes the pedals up to a speed of 25 km/h. This report does not deal with users of speed pedelecs. Speed pedelecs offer pedal assistance up to 45 km/h, and are therefore legally categorised as a moped.

    2024, Marjolein Boele-Vos & Ingrid van Schagen (SWOV), European Commission (2024). Road safety thematic report – Cyclists. European Road Safety Observatory. Brussels, European Commission, Directorate General for Transport., European Union,

Origin

  1. GermanPedelec
  2. Englishpedelec

From German Pedelec, a shortening of pedal electric.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Dutch elektrische fiets
  • elektrische fietselectrically assisted bicycle
Finnish sähköavusteinen polkupyörä
  • sähköavusteinen polkupyöräelectrically assisted bicycle
French pédélec
  • pédélecelectrically assisted bicycle
German Pedelec
  • Pedelecelectrically assisted bicycle
Japanese 電動アシスト自転車
  • 電動アシスト自転車 (dendō ashisuto jitensha)electrically assisted bicycle
Polish Pedelec
  • Pedelecelectrically assisted bicycle
Cite this entry
APA

pedelec. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pedelec

MLA

“pedelec.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pedelec. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pedelec,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pedelec.

Source: pedelec on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.