Streetsblog USA67%
State Lawmakers Aim At Illegal E-Motos, But Hit E-Bikes Instead 8%
By Ren Zaro Fitzgerald17%
8/4/2026, 9:02:00 PM
Keywords: E Moto, E Bike, Legislation, Safety, Regulation, Consumer Protection, Marketing, Deception
BS Summary: This article contains 26 faulty reasoning types, including Hasty Generalization, Appeal to Authority, and Negativity Bias, with Composition/Division as the most egregious example at 37.8% saturation with 476 hits. Analysis detected 1,760 faulty-reasoning hits from 1,259 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 18.8% and a BS Rank of 8% (25,876 of 28,112 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 92.00% of the article peer group.
Unregistered high-speed motorcycles are illegal, but a deceptive and widespread marketing tactic has tricked families into purchasing the dangerous vehicles, with deadly results, and fooled lawmakers into pushing laws that would make streets even less safe.
Gabriel Nacato, 17, died last week in New York City after a crash with an SUV while riding his Deepower e-moto.
The vehicle’s top speed of 30 miles per hour is illegal in New York, but the uncle who purchased the wheels for Nacato told the media he had no idea.
It’s hard to blame him: Deepower’s website advertises the e-moto as an e-bike — a common practice for misleading and endangering consumers.
An illegal e-moto by Tuttio advertised as an “Electric Bike” with a top speed of 46+ mph.
Click to expand.
Deepower’s deception is not anomalous.
Days before Nacato’s death, a 14-year-old died in Seattle after his e-moto plummeted down a set of stairs.
Another 14-year-old outside of Chicago met the same fate.
The deaths come as manufacturers continue to dodge basic safety requirements.
Several popular brands design their bikes with a speed cap override, or operate above legal limits by default.
Many of these companies target their advertising towards children and teenagers, even though their products can reach speeds up to 50 mph .
They list the vehicles as e-bikes, misleading consumers on the risks and legality of their products.
E-moto manufacturer Tuttio Sport markets its illegal, 50 mph-capped bikes to children.
Thrill-seeking youth and well-meaning family members aren’t the only targets of the e-moto scam.
Lawmakers are getting duped, too.
In January, New Jersey’s then-Gov.
Phil Murphy signed a bill requiring e-bike riders to possess a drivers’ license, registration and, in some cases, insurance.
The bill went after legal e-bike users — not the illegal e-moto market.
“The final bill places unnecessary and burdensome restrictions on low-speed e-bikes while leaving higher-risk vehicles like electric mopeds and motorcycles without additional regulations,” PeopleForBikes said in a statement.
New Jersey’s convoluted series of requirements that restrict and deter e-biking.
Click for full-size version.
Photo: New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission
California legislators introduced a similar bill one month later.
Their proposed statute , which would have required riders of most e-bikes to register their bike and attach a license plate, has stalled in committee.
Separately, the state’s attorney general advised consumers to be wary of falsely advertised e-motos, and emphasized the danger to children in particular.
“California should focus on regulating, educating, and enforcing laws against deceptive advertising and illegal use of e-motos, rather than creating new barriers for people riding legal e-bikes,” statewide bike advocacy organization CalBike said in a statement.
States vary in how they define e-bikes, compounding consumer uncertainty over what is and is not legal.
Some states classify e-bikes as bicycles.
Others define them as car-like vehicles.
All but eight states and Washington, D.C. follow a three-class system based on speed and wattage.
Most states cap unlicensed e-bikes at 28 mph, designating anything faster an e-moto.
And without meeting stricter safety rules such as registration, a license, and a helmet, those e-motos are illegal.
State 3-Class System?
E-Bike Speed Limit Restrictions on E-Bikes Restrictions on E-Motos Alabama Yes 28 mph None None Alaska No No defined rules Operator’s or driver’s license required None Arizona Yes 28 mph None None Arkansas Yes 28 mph None None California Yes 28 mph, Classes I and III are pedal-assist only None Attorney General issued consumer alert Colorado Yes 28 mph None None Connecticut Yes 28 mph None Must clearly state that product is not an e-bike in advertising Delaware Yes 28 mph None None Florida Yes 28 mph None None Georgia Yes 28 mph None Bans retailers from labeling e-motos as e-bikes Hawai’i Yes 28 mph Must be 18 years or older, register e-bike, and pay $30 fee None Idaho Yes 28 mph None None Illinois Yes 28 mph None None Indiana Yes 28 mph None None Iowa Yes 28 mph None None Kansas Yes 28 mph None None Kentucky No No defined rules None None Louisiana Yes 28 mph None None Maine Yes 28 mph None None Maryland Yes 28 mph None None Massachusetts Class I and II only 20 mph Operator’s license required; riders must register Capped at 30 mph and a max. cylinder capacity of 50 cubic centimeters Michigan Yes 28 mph None None Minnesota Yes 28 mph None Must clearly state that product is not an e-bike in advertising Mississippi Yes 28 mph None None Missouri Yes 28 mph None None Montana No Montana defines an electrically assisted bicycle by whether its motor can propel a 170-pound rider no faster than 20 mph on a paved, level surface None None Nebraska Yes 28 mph None None Nevada Yes 28 mph None None New Hampshire Yes 28 mph None None New Jersey No Low-Speed electric bicycle: 20 mph with no throttle
Motorized bicycle: 28 mph with throttle Low-speed electric bicycle: registration and license required
Motorized bicycle: license, registration and insurance required Bans the online sale of e-motos New Mexico Yes 28 mph None None New York Class I and II only, except in New York City 20 mph; 25 mph in New York City None Attorney General issued consumer alert North Carolina No 20 mph None None North Dakota Yes 28 mph None None Ohio Yes 28 mph None None Oklahoma Yes 28 mph None None Oregon Yes 28 mph None None Pennsylvania No 20 mph None None Rhode Island Yes 28 mph Subject to “vehicle” rules None South Carolina No South Carolina defines an electrically assisted bicycle by whether its motor can propel a 170-pound rider no faster than 20 mph on a paved, level surface Subject to “vehicle” rules None South Dakota Yes 28 mph None None Tennessee Yes 28 mph None None Texas Yes 28 mph None None Utah Yes 28 mph None Must clearly state that product is not an e-bike in advertising Vermont Yes 28 mph None None Virginia Yes 28 mph None None Washington Yes 28 mph None None Washington, D.C.
No 20 mph None None West Virginia Yes 28 mph None None Wisconsin Yes 28 mph None None Wyoming Yes 28 mph None None Standards for e-bikes and e-motos vary by state, creating widespread confusion over legality.
Federal officials are beginning to take note of the good, the bad and the outright scapegoating.
In March, a bipartisan group of House representatives introduced the Safe SPEEDS Act , which would codify a federal e-bike class system and prohibit merchants from marketing e-motos as e-bikes.
If passed, the bill would empower regulators to curb the illegal e-moto market and keep consumers safe — without punishing law-abiding e-bike riders.
New Calif.
Legislation, Backed by Bike Safety Groups, Proposed to Regulate E-Motos/E-Bikes
Its sponsors urged regulatory action in a letter sent to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission last month.
“While e-bikes remain an affordable and essential mode of transportation for millions of Americans, federal safety rules have struggled to keep pace with a rapidly evolving marketplace,” the letter said.
“Bad actors abuse regulatory loopholes to sell electronic motorcycle-like vehicles to consumers as if they were ordinary e-bikes.”
Amidst Republican-led attacks on bike and pedestrian safety, other members of Congress may be less eager to shield safe alternatives to cars and follow the New Jersey route.
Scapegoating, however, is not an effective legislative strategy.
Restricting low-speed, legal e-bikes will not stop e-moto riders from dying in the street.
Addressing the illegal, deceptive, and dangerous e-moto market will.
Speakers
3speakers6.0%attributed speech1,183writer words
Selected voice
100%flagged-word coveragePeopleForBikes
28 attributed words37% of attributed speech87% writer coverage
Attribution is sentence-level. Pattern percentages are calculated only from words assigned to that voice.
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Analysis
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