Overview
- Amazon, which officials said Monday will no longer allow California listings for over-the-limit models, has begun removing high-speed e-bikes and reviewing seller compliance.
- California’s rules cap throttle-assisted e-bikes at 20 mph and pedal-assist Class 3 at 28 mph, and anything faster is legally a moped or motorcycle that needs a license, registration, insurance, and older riders.
- Attorney General Rob Bonta issued a consumer alert in April to clarify these limits, and reporters found Amazon listings advertising 40-plus mph “e-bikes” before the company started taking some down.
- Orange County prosecutors are pursuing cases against adults who let minors ride illegal e-motorcycles, including an involuntary manslaughter charge tied to a fatal collision and a separate crash that killed a 13-year-old in Garden Grove.
- Local leaders are tightening rules as injuries rise, with Los Angeles pushing e-bike bans on most recreational trails, San Diego weighing age limits, and hospital data linking speeds over 20 mph to more severe pediatric trauma.