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California School Bans Kids' E-Bikes, So They Start Parking Them At The Neighbors' Homes (www.backyardgardenlover.com)
submitted 1 month ago by to c/fuckcars@lemmy.world
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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/70251131

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[–] 3 points 1 month ago (4 children)

It's so easy to hide a little switch to toggle "bike legal mode" on many models, in my experience that doesn't really stop people, sadly.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 month ago (3 children)

    It should be pretty easy to tell by the type of motor it has. An e-bike with a low-watt motor isn't going to suddenly become a menace by flipping a fancy switch.

    Likewise if a bike has a motor capable of pulling 35 mph or whatever, then it doesn't matter if they can turn a governor on to keep it below 25 mph. It's still got the more powerful motor and will be classified as such

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  • [–] 2 points 1 month ago (2 children)

    Not really, a 250W (average, not peak!) motor can exceed 25km/h easily on flat ground, the only difference to a stronger motor would be the acceleration.

    Disabling the electronic limit is the issue.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 child)

    Well, not "easily". I think we can agree that all else being equal pedestrian outcomes are better when motors are 250W than 600W, whether or not limited. I think it's totally reasonable to restrict unlicensed riders to motors with power output within normal human capacity, like 100-200W.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 month ago

    afaik, those numbers just don't tell you a whole lot about the actual power of the motor. A "250W motor" could produce peak power output of 1kW during short bursts, as long as the average power over a longer time is at or below 250W, they're fully legal.

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