Yeah, but that is already illegal in 90% of the places, which makes it an issue not really related to the concept of an e-bike.
I have been living in Europe for quite a while now, and e-bikes here are limited to about 15mph, e-scooters can go up to 12mph. While you can buy modding kits just fine, I haven’t seen a single modded bike in regular traffic in the last 9 years.
There are higher powered devices that can legally go faster, but that means you need a helmet and a license plate.
Let’s not claim that e-bikes and cargo e-bikes do not make a huge difference in cities and rural areas (for completely different reasons). It’s legislation and enforcement of the existing laws that suck, not the idea of a vehicle that can assist its driver.
In the US, class 1 and 2 ebikes have assist up to 20mph (class 2 is allowed a throttle, whole class 1 is only peddle assist). Class 3 can go up to 28mph (no throttle allowed), but is usually not allowed on bike paths.
IMHO, there is too much legal fragmentation and a discrepancy between the federal classification and the treatment of e-bikes as regular bikes. I also prefer the slower speed limits and simplified classification most EU member states adopted (15mph, 250W continuous motor power)
Yeah, but that is already illegal in 90% of the places, which makes it an issue not really related to the concept of an e-bike.
I have been living in Europe for quite a while now, and e-bikes here are limited to about 15mph, e-scooters can go up to 12mph. While you can buy modding kits just fine, I haven’t seen a single modded bike in regular traffic in the last 9 years.
There are higher powered devices that can legally go faster, but that means you need a helmet and a license plate.
Let’s not claim that e-bikes and cargo e-bikes do not make a huge difference in cities and rural areas (for completely different reasons). It’s legislation and enforcement of the existing laws that suck, not the idea of a vehicle that can assist its driver.
In the US, class 1 and 2 ebikes have assist up to 20mph (class 2 is allowed a throttle, whole class 1 is only peddle assist). Class 3 can go up to 28mph (no throttle allowed), but is usually not allowed on bike paths.
Yeah, in general, that’s true. Unfortunately, that’s not the whole truth, as usual. I found these sites helpful:
https://www.velotricbike.com/blogs/story-landing/electric-bike-laws-by-state
https://www.peopleforbikes.org/electric-bikes/state-laws
IMHO, there is too much legal fragmentation and a discrepancy between the federal classification and the treatment of e-bikes as regular bikes. I also prefer the slower speed limits and simplified classification most EU member states adopted (15mph, 250W continuous motor power)