ROmania
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Under current pandemic conditions one of the alternatives to public transportation is ride-sharing, or electrical bikes and scooters. Investors all over the world bet on electric bikes and scooters, and millions of USD flowed to start-ups developing in this niche. Some companies sell, others rent electric bikes. In Romania, the cost for renting an electric bike starts at 37 USD per day. Electric bikes sell for 620 - 2,400 USD. (6). All signs point to a significant increase in electric bike usage.
Some electric bike rental services present in Romania (July 2020) are: Bolt (former Taxify) (EE), Wolf-e (Ro), Flow (Ro), Lime (USA) (in Bucharest, Constanta, Brasov), MELC (Ro), Splash (Ro), and Bird (USA).(8)
Within the EU more than 3 million electric bikes were sold in 2019, a substantial increase of 23% compared to 2018 - 17% of the total e-bikes market. (9). As of 2019, Romania had only 5500 km of bike lanes. While bikes sales are booming, bike lane infrastructure growth has been slow in Romania. The bike market has grown 10 times over the last decade. (10).
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2021 In-Person or Virtual Events
Smart Infrastructure
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The first smart street in Romania has been constructed in Cluj-Napoca following a EUR 6 million investment from EU funds. It has charging stations for electric cars, bicycles and scooters, USB plugs, free Wi-Fi and smart lighting system. (1) The street has 551 square meters of green area, a smart irrigation system, 4 electric car charging stations, 15 parking lots for cars and 30 electric bike and scooter-charging stations. It also has a smart, energy-efficient lighting system and a smart rainwater collection system.
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Exporters of vehicles, Original Equipment (OE) parts & components, as well as aftermarket products & accessories to the European Union and its member states (MS) must ensure compliance with existing European Commission Directives (i.e. technical specifications, product safety, environmental impact & requirements). The licenses granted for vehicles (or parts) in one EU MS should be accepted automatically by all MS across the EU. However, individual MS may enforce stricter and/or additional regulatory requirements for certain product groups and/or applications. This is why communication with the Commercial Teams at posts is crucial.
In addition to compliance with the legal requirements of an EU MS, as well as relevant EC and UNECE directives and regulations, U.S. exporters of automotive parts are advised to assess and obtain evidence of compliance with relevant technical norms and standards. A certified quality management system is required for access to new markets and customers in Romania and the EU / Europe.
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Market Entry