The e-bike crackdown is officially underway.

This is a weekly update diving into a key story from the tech scene. For insights on the e-bike movement, keep an eye on developments. This update lands in inboxes at 8 AM ET.

**How it started**
Recently, I stepped out of my comfort zone and reached out to one of my elected officials to express my frustration over a new bill. New Jersey’s lawmakers had just enacted legislation that imposes strict regulations on e-bike ownership, and I was furious. The rising number of accidents involving teenagers on high-speed e-bikes, which resemble motorcycles more than traditional bikes, has sparked significant concern. Lawmakers argue they’re trying to bring order to a chaotic, unregulated market.

However, the bill unfairly groups high-powered e-motos with low-speed pedal-assist bikes, commonly used by food delivery workers and parents transporting their kids. Requiring someone with a throttle-free e-bike that can’t exceed 20 mph to register it with the DMV, obtain a license, and purchase insurance seems absurd and will hinder efforts to promote sustainable transportation in the state. So, I called my governor and urged him to veto the bill.

Unfortunately, my plea fell on deaf ears.

**How it’s going**
Now, residents of New Jersey must navigate one of the strictest e-bike laws in the country. Advocates for biking are shocked at how this bill passed through the legislature and was signed into law at the last minute by an outgoing governor. They fear that other states might follow New Jersey’s example, especially with the growing anxiety surrounding teenagers riding e-bikes.

In New York City, e-bike speeds have been capped at 15 mph, which is frustratingly slow and limits an e-bike’s ability to maneuver around large vehicles on busy streets. Some residents in Manhattan are even calling for a complete ban on e-bikes in Central Park due to a few incidents involving pedestrians. Meanwhile, lawmakers in California are considering a bill to prohibit the sale of e-bikes with motors exceeding 750W.

It’s clear that lawmakers are hearing from constituents concerned about the rise of high-powered e-bikes in their neighborhoods. A quick look at any local Facebook group reveals plenty of anxiety over teenagers riding e-bikes. While these concerns are often valid, given the increasing number of injuries and fatalities, the solution lies in better infrastructure and safety education for both parents and kids.

However, when these worries lead to misguided legislation like New Jersey’s, it negatively impacts the broader community that relies on affordable, eco-friendly transportation options — including teens. Research shows that e-bikes are used more frequently than traditional bikes and often replace car trips, leading to reduced carbon emissions and healthier communities. Instead of fostering this mode of transport by creating safe bike lanes, lawmakers are reacting impulsively, ignoring the real safety issues that contribute to rising road fatalities: cars.

**What’s next**
Bike advocates are working hard to address the glaring flaws in New Jersey’s e-bike law, aiming to shift focus toward stricter regulations for kids and e-motos. Their success is uncertain.

In the meantime, misinformation about e-bikes is spreading online. My colleagues at a local bike advocacy group are facing a barrage of negative comments from people who mistakenly equate all e-bikes with danger, failing to recognize the vast differences between a 40 mph electric dirt bike and a throttle-free pedal-assist bike that tops out at 20 mph.

This situation isn’t surprising. In a car-centric country like the US, we often overlook the need to promote better, more sustainable transportation options, instead of sticking to the flawed, car-dominated system. This phenomenon has various names — windshield bias, car brain, motonormativity — reflecting the mindset that all decisions should prioritize automobiles. Lawmakers are particularly susceptible to these biases.

While some e-bikes can indeed be problematic, just like certain cars, treating all e-bikes as identical ignores their significant potential. It seems e-bikes are victims of their own success. I’ve seen harsh comments from drivers frustrated by having to slow down for a delivery worker or a parent with kids on a cargo bike, or about new bike lanes in their area. E-bikes are as divisive as they are popular, so it’s perhaps inevitable that drivers, who can’t tolerate any delay, would push back.

**By the way**
* One of the oddest aspects of New Jersey’s new law is its complete disregard for the established three-class system for e-bikes. Class 1 is pedal-assist with no throttle, Class 2 is throttle-assisted with a max speed of 20 mph, and Class 3 is pedal-assist only, no throttle, with a max speed of 28 mph. New Jersey essentially said, “Forget it, we’re calling them all e-motos” and left it at that.
* Safety advocates point to Connecticut as a state that got it right. Last year, it passed a law requiring riders of e-bikes without pedals and with batteries over 750W to obtain a driver’s license. More powerful e-bikes with batteries over 3,500W capable of speeds from 35 mph to over 50 mph will need registration and insurance, similar to motorcycles, while low-speed pedal-assist e-bikes were left untouched.

**Read this**
* An interesting perspective discusses the futility of trying to regulate e-bikes based on motor wattage, as companies can easily manipulate the figures.
* A summary of e-bike and e-moto regulations across the US provides valuable context.
* A previous piece celebrated electric cargo bikes and how they played a crucial role in starting a bike bus in our community.