The proponents have a doctor wearing a lab coat pretending this will stop eMotos. The proposed law will not stop kids riding illegal electric motorcycles.
Why didn't prohibitionists think of that argument? Kids are getting drunk on booze their parents buy for them. Therefore, only non-alcoholic beer (0.5%) should be legal.
The sponsor must not be taken seriously. She says 750 continuous, 1350 peak, is ambiguous. She says 250 continuous and 750 peak is not ambiguous. Is that electrical input or mechanical output? Continuous power is only the manufacturer's rating that the motor won't burn out at that power. It doesn't mean a continuous 251 or 1000 watts will overheat it. Peak power depends on the controller. Controllers can often be swapped out.
The doc says bicycles go 10 mph and e-bikes 30. He says current bicycle helmets should be outlawed because they won't protect you hitting a brick wall at 30. If staying down around 10 is vital, ape-hanger bars should be required, forcing riders to sit upright. Bicyclists should be required to dismount and walk their bikes down hills.
He complains about the acceleration of kids on e-bikes. An 80-pound kid will get more acceleration than a 250 pound adult. The only way to stop those darned kids from accelerating so fast, is to make them wear weight belts to bring them up to 250. it's for their safety!
A man and e-bike together could weigh more than 300 pounds. If the 750 watt limit is electrical, that could be 500 watts of mechanical power, or 2/3 horsepower, or 4.4 horsepower per ton. That would be like limiting a 3,000 pound car to 6.6 hp. The purpose of the bill seems to be to make street-legal e-bikes suitable for toys. Should cars be limited to the same engines as push mowers so kids can be given cars as toys?
The doc doesn't say how many of these juvenile injuries involve collisions with motor vehicles. NHSTA has found that motor vehicle speed has a huge effect on the likelihood of bicycle collisions and the severity of injuries. The Netherlands made bicycling much safer by reducing motor vehicle speed on streets open to cycles. I think it's 15 mph. The doc ought to be driving a car limited to 15.
My Abound is rated at 750 continuous and something like 1200 peak. Reviewers noted that it will handle a steep hill with a heavy rider and a heavy cargo. It has plenty of power for what I carry, up even steep off-road hills, but if I open the throttle with the back wheel off the ground, it goes only to 20.2 mph. I think that's how the motor is wound. Up to that speed, a motor will perform better than one wound for a higher speed.
My Radmission was advertised at 500 watts. On a hill, I was getting about 350. Radpower meant the controller would give it 500 watts of electrical power. My aftermarket controller gives it 25 amps, for a peak of about 1200 electrical and 800 mechanical. With the wheel off the ground, the throttle will take it to 27. That may mean the motor was wound for 20 mph with a 20 inch wheel, which is 27 with the 27 inch wheel on the bike. On braking tests, it would easily get me to 20 but poop out at 22, where air drag needs 1/3 more power.
If they want to keep kids from going 30, the issue is how fast a motor will spin. That's easy for a cop to check, as I did.
If e-bikes are still too dangerous for kids, e-bikes could be treated like beer. You have to be over a certain age.
