I’ve been considering buying an e-bike for the last year, and as I researched I realized there is a lot of confusion and misunderstandings about e-bikes vs e-motos. Most e-bikes are pedal assist only and the ones that have throttle only go up to 28 miles per hour. E-Motos on the other hand can be much faster – but stores often sell them side by side. It can be easy for teenagers and young adults to end up buying an e-moto and using it recklessly. This can cause problems when laws and restrictions are put in place that conflate e-bikes and e-motos.
While there have been accidents related to e-bikes, studies have shown that the most serious accidents have always been related to e-motos not e-bikes. People for Bikes, the leading US bicycle advocacy organization, details the differences between e-bikes and e-motos in a recent article. Key points from the article, which is also linked at the end, include the following.
- Electric bicycles are considered consumer products. The use of e-bikes on public roads are generally regulated the same as bicycles. What an electric bicycle is and how and where they may be operated is already defined by most states.
- E-motos are electric mopeds, electric motorcycles and electric dirt bikes that are much more powerful and faster than any electric bicycle. E-motos are subject to federal motor safety standards. Most e-motos must be registered and insured to be used on public roads.
- E-motos often have fake pedals that are added by the manufacturers or by consumers in an attempt to pass the e-moto off as e-bike. Adding pedals to an e-moto does not make it an e-bike and the should not be considered as such.
- The companies that make e-motos are the cause of most of the issues around e-motos being sold to unsuspecting customers. Many of them very obviously intend to deceive customers into believing their e-moto is actually an e-bike that does not require a drivers license to operate.
- The reckless use of e-motos results in un-necessary restrictions on e-bikes, because communities are not aware of the differences between e-bikes and e-motos. The restrictions are often blanket bans of e-bikes, when e-motos are the problem.
I think it’s important to ensure that e-bikes are not banned in any way because they can make bike riding more accessible to some people who may not be able to ride a regular bike without extra assistance. E-bikes can also help reduce dependence on cars because people can use their e-bikes for short trips to and from the store or other places they may wish to go to in their neighborhood. Some may also be able to commute to work on an e-bike instead of using their car.
I do believe any vendor that is selling e-bikes and e-motos needs to ensure that their products are clearly labeled. I also think consumers need to do their due diligence in making sure they know what they are buying and parents should know what their teenagers are buying.
Laws and restrictions need to be written very clearly to indicate which type of bike is being restricted.
In Longmont, Colorado, city staff are developing an education and safety campaign to clarify local rules around electric bikes and electric motorized vehicles. Read more at the article linked below. Other communities, like Shrewsbury, can learn from this and other models to help residents understand the differences between e-bikes and e-motos to ensure they are purchasing the correct item and following local rules.
Referenced Articles:
1. The E-Bike Problem is an E-Moto Problem
2. E-bike or e-moto? Longmont forms work group to guide safety campaign