Recent content by Ken M

What is a gas pedal in a car other than a throttle for your foot. So that is a low attention design / configuration that adds risks to us all? GP motorcycles routinely exceed 220mph in very close proximity to others at that same speed...they are paying attention while using a throttle. Excuse me...

The problem was not what was defined as compliant for sale in all 50 states by HR727 and regulated by the CPSC. The problem was off-road emotos being sold and used as ebikes that are not compliant ebikes. Slicing one class (low speed electric bicycle as defined in HR727) into 3-classes solved...

eMotos were never compliant to HR727 as "low speed electric bicycles" but they will remain legal for sale as off road unregulated products (that is the loophole and it's not going to be closed but they should not be allowed to be called ebikes at the time of sale). Federalizing the flawed...

But considering all the 3 class definitions as a bike to be use regulated as a bike is what was established with HR727 back in 2002. The definition of a low speed electric bicycle passed one vote short of full congressional consensus and they signed into law. For some reason People for Bikes...

David and I have exchanged ideas and we agree on pretty much everything except that I believe the vastly more common interpretation of motor power is continuous regardless of the units being watts or horsepower. I'm not saying this is robust legally, but technically it's the way motors are...

it's a good common sense document but I still believe the 3-class system has not helped clarify anything. The Low Speed Electric Bicycle (LSEB) in HR727 was approved by a near unanimous vote in the House and Senate so states should have just stayed focused on "use" of bikes (including LSEBs as...

Do some research into HR727. That bill was voted on by all 50 states and passed one vote short of full consensus. It defines a low speed electric bicycle that limited motor power alone speed to 20mph. This CPSC definition was to allow all 50 states to sell the same "compliant" ebike that would...

Be prepared for Class 3 to eventually require licence/registration/insurance as what happened in the EU with speed pedalecs. What is funny is that Speed Pedalec sales went way down and the speed unlocking dongles sold 3 million units. So what does the EU do? They make it illegal to alter the...

Given the huge downturn in ebike sales post new regulations based on the People for Bikes 3-Class system is it time to admit that it's created more problems than it ever could have solved. As an example, riders of Class 2 throttle ebikes are being required to have a motorcycle license...

Wow...thanks. Many years ago I predicted all this regulatory mess would happen. It's not all because of the 3-class legislation but it added to the confusion. The more serious problem is essentially e-motors (some of which have "functional pedals") being marketed and sold as ebikes even if...

Every Bosch drive ebike is/was 100% compliant with HR727 so NOTHING was restricting their penetration of the US ebike market....ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. They knew HR727 provided a more capable mobility solution than they were currently producing or wanted produced by other companies such that their...

Really. Bosch was/is the largest auto parts producer in the world with over $100 billion is total sales, with over half coming from the auto parts. The ebike motor division was not even $1 billion at the time they provided $3 million to People for Bikes to promote the 3-class system. Given that...

The really dumb thing about the People for Bikes 3 class system is differentiating a difference between a Pedal assist to 20mph and a throttle to 20mph. My guess is they were trying to address that Europe didn't allow throttles at all but that is likely to change given handicap people may need a...

Yes ... the original definition of a low speed electric bicycles in HR727 must be protected or we are in a deep pile of nasty regulatory capture to keep ebikes as only good for recreation/leisure/fitness solutions and not effective transportation solution as Dr. Currie intended. I get hammered...

We all need to understand what Dr. Currie really did with his multi-year effort to get HR727 passed. He move the legal purview for ebikes from the NHTSA (if a bike had a motor there were viewed the same as a motorcycle) to the CPSC, thus ebikes went into the 15 USC 2085 safety standards as a...