What Are the Classes of Ebikes? Where Can Ebikes Be Ridden?

Class 1, Class 2, and Class 3 ebikes—what they mean and the law.

Class 1 Schwinn Vantage RXe Electric Bike with 250 watts of power from Bosch’s Performance Line Cruise drive system provides pedal assistance up to 20 mph.

Ebikes are a relatively new thing, at least in the US, and the laws here have just been catching up in recent years. The first ebikes were introduced to the US in the 1990s, but sales were minuscule here until the last several years, even as they were exploding in Europe. (The conventional wisdom in the bicycle industry has long been that Europe is at least a decade ahead of the US in ebike adoption.)

In 2002, the US Congress passed HB 727, a federal law that defined “low-speed electric bicycle” as a two- or three-wheeled vehicle with fully operable pedals, an electric motor of no more than 750 watts, and a speed on motor power alone of less than 20 mph.

It allowed such a vehicle to be either a pedelec (pedal-electric, a throttle-less machine which measures how hard you’re pedaling and multiplies that with the motor) or throttle-controlled. The law specifically pre-empted more stringent state laws defining low-speed electric bicycles, and it specifically stated that low-speed electric bicycles were not motor vehicles. They would be regulated at the federal level by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), which regulates regular bicycles, and not the Department of Transportation (DOT), which sets rules for cars and motorcycles.

A common set of (state) rules is starting to emerge, modeled after California ebike laws that created three classes of electric bicycles.

But while the federal government made the rules concerning bicycle definition, the states still regulate usage on public roads and bicycle paths. In five states, an ebike is considered a moped or some other type of motor-driven cycle under pre-existing laws, and moped rules apply, which usually require a license of some kind.

Fortunately, a common set of rules is starting to emerge, modeled after California ebike laws that created three classes of electric bicycles. Thirty-five states in addition to California have passed almost identical rules supported by bicycle industry advocacy group PeopleForBikes..

California Electric Bicycle laws. For more info check out https://peopleforbikes.org/our-work/e-bikes/policies-and-laws/

In these 36 states, ebikes fall into one of three classes:

Class 1 Ebikes

Is an electrically assisted pedelec that can offer assistance up to 20 mph.

Class 2 Ebikes

Is an electrically assisted bicycle controlled by a throttle that can offer assistance up to 20 mph.

Class 3 Ebikes

Is an electrically assisted pedelec that has a speedometer and can offer motor power up to 28 mph—making Class 3 the fastest of US eBikes that don’t fall into the motorcycle category.

Perhaps the most important point is that regulations on ebikes are changing quickly and generally getting less rather than more restrictive.

But even the 36 states diverge on some of the rules of operation. In California, Class 1 and 2 ebikes can be operated by any age rider and can use dedicated bikeways in addition to bike lanes on roads. In contrast, the state requires Class 3 ebike riders to be at least 16 years old and to wear a helmet, while usage on dedicated bikeways is prohibited unless the local county or city has specifically allowed it.

But California allows both Class 3 ebikes and mopeds to use bike lanes when they’re part of public roads. The other 35 states generally treat all three classes of ebikes as simply bicycles, but vary on age limits, helmet requirements, and bikeway usage.

Perhaps the most important point is that regulations on ebikes are changing quickly and generally getting less rather than more restrictive. If you want to know the specific rules in your state, you can check at a local ebike shop, the state DMV website, or PeopleForBikes’ directory about ebike policies and laws throughout the US, including a state-by-state breakdown.

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