"Multi-class ebikes"

[marinbob]

Under California law, a bike with a motor and a throttle is considered a bike rather than a motor vehicle only if the motor is not capable of providing assistance when the bike is going faster than 20 mph. But a growing number of Chinese and other companies are marketing supposed Class 2 ebikes and advertising that the motors will provide assistance at more than 20 mph by shifting "modes" into Class 3 or something called "Off Road." Has anyone analyzed whether these vehicles comply with the law?

[Lss555]

I’m not to sure but I wonder if there could be a work around by if it has a governor that keeps it under 20, but then you just take it off or adjust it so you can go faster?

[ichitan]

(09-30-2023, 12:13 AM)marinbob Wrote:  Under California law, a bike with a motor and a throttle is considered a bike rather than a motor vehicle only if the motor is not capable of providing assistance when the bike is going faster than 20 mph. But a growing number of Chinese and other companies are marketing supposed Class 2 ebikes and advertising that the motors will provide assistance at more than 20 mph by shifting "modes" into Class 3 or something called "Off Road." Has anyone analyzed whether these vehicles comply with the law?

There are bikes where you can switch from class 2 to class 3. Laws may vary from place to place. So it is best to check laws in your area. They may be legal in one place, but not in another. Class 3 may be legal on certain roads and trails, but not others.

They should standardize the law across the whole country, so there is no confusion.

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A slightly different issue, but in addition:

A lot of electric bikes have a way to change settings, to remove the speed limit. Information on how to change settings may not be available to the public, but in some cases someone may provide it.

If settings are changed so the bike goes faster than the legal limit, the bike is not legal on the road.

If the bike is ridden on a farm, or private property, and not on the road, road laws do not apply.

Because electric bikes are relatively new, some police have not known the laws about electric bikes. Some people have got away with riding electric bikes on the road, which do not comply with the law. As time goes on, expect police to be trained on electric bike laws.

It is smart to live within the law. If you break the law, at some time there might be consequences.

[ichitan]

To be sure you are complying with the law on a bike that can be switched from class 2 to class 3, treat the bike as a class 3 bike, and only ride it where it is legal to ride a class 3 bike.

Having a bike which can be switched back and forth, is probably a grey area, and there is probably no law written for it. So it would be at the discretion of the police and courts.

Ride sensibly and safely. If you ride really fast, or do stupid things, you are much more likely to get unwanted attention. If you are trying to do the right thing, you are much less likely to have problems with law enforcement.

Do you need an e-bike now. The batteries in some bikes catch on fire. Chinese e-bikes are probably the highest risk. I would wait until changes have been made to prevent battery fires.

https://forums.bikeride.com/thread-8603.html

[tc2wheel]

Regardless of laws & regulations, there are always those who want to ride fast and make their bikes faster than factory settings.
If you have a ebike that is capable to traveling faster than 20 mph or 30 mph, you can still ride it slow, likely will never attract attention from LEOs (Law Enforcement Officers).
It is most likely dependent on how you ride your ebike whether you get in trouble with the laws & regulations.

Battery fire in ebikes are way sensationalized and overblown by the media,
you are far more likely to get hit by a car while riding than your ebike battery ever to catch on fire.

https://youtu.be/Kk3Bg2BxOJk?si=5CV9ULDOign0Epog