New Jersey Would Be Foolish To Require E-Bike Insurance & Registration

Actually, when we had Akita dogs we had them registered, with a rabies tag on their collar and we notified our homeowners insurance to make sure the Akita's weren't on the "banned" list. If you have certain dogs in your home and a incident happens the homeowners insurance will deny any claims and instantly drop you.
 
Seems like a solution to a problem that doesn't exist. My guess is, it's a tax in disguise and more about money than safety.
The fact that no data is presented to prove there is compliant ebikes safety problem, it's definitely about money for politicians.
 
Probably the most detailed explanation of EU and US pedal assist ebike laws.

There is nothing technically correct in this video. Power and motor power are different and the subject is a bit complex. I do agree that both the EU and US have "motor ratings" which have nothing to do with drive system / controller power. Even suggesting that the regulations are for continuous power then the ambient temperature for testing needs to be defined at a basic minimum because a motor will run continuously with more power if the test temperature is lower.

The problem is we have politicians and lawyers trying to define regulations that are technical without having a clue what they are talking about and then we have a lot of people trying to tell us what the regulations mean that have no more technical knowledge than the politicians. The only people that are not confused are engineers that at least have some grasp of motor ratings and performance.

I find it shocking that so many think a pedelec is really different than a throttle ebike. Sure they are perceived different by the technically ignorant but the way the power / torque is applied to the wheel is no different. At least a throttle allows disabled people the opportunity to enjoy riding an ebike so I've grown tired of those saying only Class 1 ebikes in the US should be allowed on single track trails.
 
Last edited:
I’ve had to think through the insurance angle myself, and having some fallback for cyclist liability made me feel less stressed on busy roads. It didn’t change how or where I ride, but it gave me peace of mind without needing a whole DMV-style process. If lawmakers push ahead, having something simple and rider-focused would make way more sense than piling on fees that just push people off e-bikes.
 
Last edited:
Back