Vehicles: electric bicycles

The law targets misleading e-bike marketing and adds safety, labeling, battery, and operating rules for higher-powered electric two- and three-wheel vehicles. It makes clearer when a vehicle must meet motor-vehicle requirements rather than e-bike rules.

What the law does ​

• Keeps e-bikes limited to operable pedals, motors of no more than 750 watts, and existing class-based speed limits.
• Bars higher-powered, faster, pedal-less, or manufacturer-modifiable vehicles from being marketed, sold, or labeled as e-bikes.
• Defines highway-legal mopeds and motor-driven cycles to require federal safety compliance, a 17-digit vehicle identification number, certification labeling, and required vehicle equipment.
• Requires e-bike labels to identify the brand, manufacturer, importer, or distributor, class, top assisted speed, and motor wattage.
• Restricts e-bike classification-label sales and installation to physical retailers or bicycle repair shops, which must verify the label matches the vehicle’s legal class.
• Requires sellers of electric mopeds, motor-driven cycles, and off-highway electric motorcycles to disclose in advertisements and at sale that motor-vehicle registration, licensing, helmet, and possible insurance requirements apply.
• Requires specified battery and charging-system safety compliance for mopeds and off-highway electric motorcycles, including for sales, leases, and rentals beginning January 1, 2028.
• Prohibits operating an electric two- or three-wheel device capable of exceeding 20 mph under motor power on a highway or public right-of-way unless it meets and is authorized under a Vehicle Code vehicle classification.
• Authorizes peace officers to remove unauthorized electric devices operated on highways or public rights-of-way and requires crash reports to record vehicle labeling information when available.

Who it affects ​

• E-bike, moped, motor-driven-cycle, and off-highway electric-motorcycle manufacturers, importers, distributors, sellers, rental businesses, retailers, and repair shops.
• Riders and buyers of electric two- and three-wheel vehicles.
• Peace officers and local agencies that investigate crashes or remove unauthorized vehicles.

Context ​

The law also permits school districts to provide moped safety instruction and applies electric-vehicle safety standards to certain use on forest-, brush-, and grass-covered land.