The California Government Is Coming For Your E-Bikes (sfstandard.com)
- Reference: 0183088630
- News link: https://tech.slashdot.org/story/26/05/01/0132241/the-california-government-is-coming-for-your-e-bikes
- Source link: https://sfstandard.com/2026/04/30/e-bike-regulation-license-plates-laws-dmv/
> If state lawmakers have their way, you'll have to get a license plate for your e-bike, and if you're planning to buy one next year, it'll be slower. Amid growing concerns about e-bike safety, particularly among children in Bay Area suburbs, two bills introduced this year [1]aim to make it easier to ticket riders and reduce the top speed of some models . [2]AB 1942 would require certain e-bikes to be registered with the Department of Motor Vehicles and display license plates, and [3]AB 1557 would slow e-bikes that children are allowed to operate. Both bills are still being reviewed in committee. If either bill passes this year, it will take effect Jan. 1.
[1] https://sfstandard.com/2026/04/30/e-bike-regulation-license-plates-laws-dmv/
[2] https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB1942
[3] https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB1557
I do not see the problem here (Score:3)
Is this a "My freedumbs!!!" thing?
Re: (Score:3)
We're in a sad place when freedoms are considered something "dumb".
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If you're going to have to go through the trouble of getting a license and have to register and mount a license plate on the "bike"....why not just go ahead and get a real motorcycle....?
The E-bikes without the hassle of registering, etc were fun for kids and even grownups to scoot around, but if you're going to be treated like a motorcycle, you might as well get a real one and realize the benefits of having a real bike.
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The context of that phrase is almost always used for people who invite regulation with their own foolish/dangerous behavior.
Rebecca Watson covered this on YouTube (Score:3)
The issue isn't ebikes. The issue is electric motorcycles sold as ebikes without adequate breaks to kids without licenses.
Re: Rebecca Watson covered this on YouTube (Score:2)
Then go after the manufacturers.
Americans hate nuance (Score:3)
So our go-to answer for any problem is bans and criminalizing
Re: Americans hate nuance (Score:2)
No. But if manufacturers are braking laws and knowingly manufacturing dangerous products for children they should be punished. As far as adults you can do what you want.
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If the problem is kids driving bikes they physically can't handle, the root cause is that the manufacturer is not disclosing this to the parents at time of purchase. If an industry fails to regulate itself, the government should step in.
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You can't go after the manufacturers because 1) they're outside of your jurisdiction, 2) their products are likely legal in half of the world (e.g. Asia/Africa). The problem occurs because foreign sellers register these products on platforms e.g. Amazon or Temu, and accept to ship to countries where they are not legal. What you can do is regulate Amazon so they are liable for their products. Of course it's also very difficult politically.
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The manufacturers aren't the problem. They aren't the ones who make the rules about how their product is used on public thoroughfares.
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That is harder than it sounds. Such bikes can be made from kits, so no manufacturers, and complete bikes can be sold for off-road use. It's behavior that's a problem, and some of that behavior is from children.
The fact is, an e-bike is defined by its similarity in function to a bike. As long as they are sufficiently similar, the problems are just bike problems. When the vehicles are really motorcycles, then the problem is different. None of the proposed laws seem to appreciate any of this. rsilvergun i
Defining an electric motor bike (Score:2)
What's needed is clarity about what the acceptable top speed / horsepower of ebikes should be before they are treated as motor bikes. The problem then is enforcement; the UK has such rules, but also a vast number of illegal e-bikes which are especially popular with food delivery couriers. What we don't want is a licencing regime for all bikes with electrical support, or, even worse, all push bikes requiring licencing.
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There are already limits. One of the problems is that you can buy a legal e-bike that is limited to the specifications, but it's actually capable of a lot more performance, and it just takes a firmware update to unlock the potential. I have no idea how they can enforce this law if they pass it.
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All true, but we should first understand what the nature of any real problems actually are.
It is generally known why bikes are unlicensed, it needs to be appreciated that e-bikes are also unlicensed because their assumed usage is similar to that of bikes. There is no concern over "acceptable top speed" for bikes, why should there be for e-bikes? Why can't the actual problems be identified and addressed?
"What we don't want is a licencing regime for all bikes with electrical support, or, even worse, all pus
Good. Existing laws have loopholes for "e-bikes" (Score:4, Informative)
I don't want to be "angry old man yelling at clouds" BUT ebikes exist in various grey areas of the current laws. Most of the modern bikes are not electric bikes; they are electric motorcycles and they should be treated as such. Here in NJ, we've had a slew of fatal accidents involving teens because of these loopholes. Riding on sidewalks (like a bike) but going 20-30mph. Or riding in traffic alongside cars, but not following traffic laws. Or the fact that they're not wearing helmets.
If your vehicle can go a certain speed and you're riding in traffic along with cars, you're no longer a bike but a motorcycle. And that should require things like license plates, driver's licenses, insurance, etc. ALTERNATIVELY, the bikes need to operate as bikes with similar speeds, only move when pedaling, ride on the side of the road, etc.
But right now, these vehicles are essentially electric motorcycles but kids ride them anyway under the guise that they are bikes.
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" Riding on sidewalks (like a bike)"
Bikes aren't supposed to be on sidewalks either. Cyclists are the worst.
Big government is sucking joy out of everything (Score:2)
California legislature is crancking out 2500 new laws per year on top of regulations created by massive government bureaucracy. You are probably breaking some law every day.
Outraged! Please help me sue California! (Score:3)
Firstly, anti-throttle ebike rules are abelist. If you have a bad knee or hip, you can't have an ebike? I have a fibroma on my right foot, and a lung problem, and having an ebike allows me a little fun. California also has a law that makes it difficult to put a seat on a scooter, for people who need sit down. Also, people with disabilities aren't allowed to have more than one vehicle, so, I have an old car that's not long for the world, and an ebike. Please put me in touch with a lawyer that deals with these kinds of cases, and I will stand in court for us.
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If you are unable to safely operate a motor vehicle then no you can't have a motor vehicle. Is it ableist to deny a blind person?
Governmental overreach (Score:2)
OK I get it. In my neighborhood very young kids are tearing down the street at ungodly rates of speed, often without helmets, and I certainly don't think this is a good thing.
But laws passed by a state legislature are a very blunt weapon where finesse would be more appropriate. Specifically, you're not gonna put the horse back in the barn. Electric bikes and scooters are here to stay, kids adore them, and parents don't want their kid to be the only one on the block who doesn't have one. Software governors a
E-Bikes are Mopeds Disguised as Bikes (Score:2)
E-Bikes are less of a bike and more of a moped. They should be treated as such.
Breaking out the popcorn (Score:2)
I'll just sit back and watch the reasoned, civil, and insightful debate play out on Slashdot: those who hate upon cyclists vs those that hate upon California.
I don't live in California but... (Score:4, Insightful)
... I suspect the police there have better things to do with their time than chase kids on ebikes across parks and playgrounds.
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Around here it is rare enough for cops to ticket people blocking intersections, blowing through red lights, or doing 40 through a 20mph residential neighborhood. If CA is similar I doubt enforcement will be a priority.
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I'd just be of the mind of "fuck it"...I'll just get a REAL motorcycle.....
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They do but this is CA; They will be instructed to harass ebike riders while they ignore serious property and violent crime because ...demographics.