Regulations of E-Bikes in North America

Authors

John MacArthur, Portland State UniversityFollow
Nicholas Kobel, Portland State University

Sponsor

This research was funded by the National Institute for Transportation and Communities (NITC), a U.S. Department of Transportation university transportation center, based at Portland State University.

Document Type

Report

Publication Date

8-2014

Subjects

Electric bicycles -- Oregon -- Portland, Cyclists -- Oregon -- Portland -- Public opinion, Electric bicycles -- Effect on reducing barriers to cycling

Abstract

Throughout the world, the electric bicycle (e-bike) industry is growing very quickly. The North American market has been somewhat slow to adopt this technology, which is still considered to be in the “early adopter” phase (Rose & Dill, 2011; Rose, 2011), but in recent years, this has begun to change. But as e-bike numbers increase, so too will potential conflicts (actual or perceived) with other vehicles and non-motorized devices, bicycles and pedestrians, causing policy questions to arise. Indeed, conflicting user groups are petitioning state legislatures and local governments for permission to operate legally on roadways and paths or to ban these devices.

Although some states, such as Oregon, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania, have created specific e-bike legislation, other states’ legislation surrounding e-bikes is best described as nebulous. The confusion stems from the wide variety of devices and technologies on the market; perceived overlap of legal entities' jurisdiction over the device, which under certain circumstances can be either a consumer product or a motor vehicle; outdated laws and regulations; and inconsistency of terms. The purpose of this paper is to outline the different classifications of ebikes—what they are and what they are not—and to help shed light on aspects of federal and state legislation of e-bikes. In addition, this paper explores the potential conflicts these regulations may cause for the adoption of this technology.

Description

This is a final report, NITC-RR-564, from the NITC program of TREC at Portland State University, and can be found online at: http://nitc.trec.pdx.edu/research/project/564.

For the later, related Final Report NITC-RR-564B, see http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/19469

The project brief associated with this report can be found at:

Associated posters and presentations have been added as supplemental files to this document.

DOI

10.15760/trec.163

Persistent Identifier

http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/19472

Recommended Citation

MacArthur, J., and Kobel, N. (2014) Regulations of E-Bikes in North America. NITC-RR-564. Portland, OR: Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC). https://doi.org/10.15760/trec.163