NYC Sends Cease-and-Desist to Amazon Over Fast E-Bikes
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- Mayor Zohran Mamdani sent cease-and-desist letters to 40 online retailers including Amazon, Walmart, Target, Temu, and Wayfair, demanding they stop selling non-compliant e-bikes, scooters, and similar vehicles to New York City residents.
- Retailers have until later this month to comply or face fines of up to $2,000 for continuing to ship prohibited vehicles to NYC addresses.
- NYC's e-bike speed limit of 25 mph is stricter than most of the US, where Class 3 e-bikes reaching 28 mph are widely legal — those faster models are classified as illegal in NYC when they exceed the 25 mph cap.
- Federal law caps consumer e-bikes at 750W of continuous motor power, but many online listings advertise several thousand watts and speeds exceeding 30 mph while still marketing themselves as "electric bikes," often without VINs or equipment to register as mopeds.
- Amazon responded that it is reviewing the products identified by the city, with a spokesperson saying, "Safety is a top priority and we require e-bikes sold in our store to meet applicable safety standards," and expressing willingness to work with the mayor's office.
- The crackdown also targets faster e-motos that fall into off-road electric motorbike territory — a line the city says has become increasingly blurred as overseas manufacturers ship ever more powerful two-wheelers directly to consumers through online marketplaces with little regard for local classifications.
Why it matters: The action shifts enforcement from riders to 40 retailers, exposing the gap between the federal 750W e-bike cap and what overseas manufacturers actually ship through online marketplaces. With fines up to $2,000 and Amazon already engaging the mayor's office, compliant brick-and-mortar bike shops gain ground in NYC while online sellers face the cost of scrubbing thousands of third-party listings.
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