(Sacramento, CA) California is successfully fighting back in the battle for legal e-bikes vs e-motos as Sen. Catherine S. Blakespear’s (D-Encinitas) Bill SB 1167, introduced in February, has advanced through the Transportation, Natural Resources, and Appropriations Committees, and is now awaiting a vote from the full Senate.
“Increasingly, higher-powered electric motorcycles, commonly called ‘e-motos,’ are being marketed and sold as ‘e-bikes,’ creating confusion for families and regulators, as well as causing new safety risks on public streets,” stated Blakespear. “Bill SB 1167 strengthens consumer protections, clarifies the classifications of certain high-powered electric devices, and cracks down on deceptive marketing, making it illegal to advertise or sell electric motorcycles, mopeds, or other higher-powered vehicles as electric bicycles.”
Bill SB 1167 also requires clear disclosure when a vehicle does not meet the e-bike definition and is subject to registration, licensing, helmet, and insurance requirements.
The bill is being touted as a template for other states and is co-sponsored by CalBike, PeopleForBikes, Streets For All, and Streets Are For Everyone.
Meanwhile, two other bills AB 1557 and AB 1942, introduced by Diane Papan (Assemblymember 21) and Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (Assemblymember 16) respectively, did not advance.
AB 1557 sought, among other restrictions, to impose a 250-watt motor cap on Class 1 and 2 e-bikes, effectively banning hub-drive e-bikes while AB 1942, the E-Bike Accountability Act, proposed treating e-bikes like cars, requiring mandatory DMV registration and license plates for Class 2 and Class 3 e-bikes.
“Huge news out of Sacramento today. AB 1557 and AB 1942 — two bills that would have decimated California’s legal e-bike industry — are dead in the Appropriations Committee,” wrote Brett Thurber, co-owner of the New Wheel, on LinkedIn. “To everyone who called, emailed, went to Sacramento, and stood up to be counted: you did this. Lawmakers count the people who show up, and you showed up.”
Pundits also noted that neither AB 1557 and AB 1942 addressed the illegal e-motos falsely marketed as e-bikes, which ultimately led to New Jersey Governor, Phil Murphy, signing a controversial new e-bike bill S4834/A6235 into law on Jan. 19, the day before he left office. That state now has the strictest regulations for electric bikes in the USA – read more here – with PeopleforBikes and others rallying to amend the legislation here.
“E-motos falsely sold as e-bikes are a real problem on our streets and we need to work to get this problem dealt with. This win is a reminder of what’s possible when riders, advocates, retailers, and manufacturers organize together and tell the true story: legal e-bikes are one of the best things happening for our health, our communities, and our planet,” added Thurber.
According to Calbike, “E-bikes are not the source of California’s traffic violence crisis. They are one of the exits from it. They give people a way to make short trips without climbing into a two-ton vehicle. They offer a cleaner, cheaper, more humane form of transportation. They are not a fringe gadget. They are one of the most practical tools we have to reduce car dependence.” – read more here.
