America doesn’t need faster e-bikes. It needs better small electric vehicles
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- Author argues the US should stop pushing e-bikes faster and instead create a new regulatory class for modest-speed electric vehicles limited to roughly 35 mph (56 km/h), equipped with lighting, mirrors, hydraulic brakes, and turn signals, while remaining banned from bike paths.
- US Class 3 e-bike framework caps pedal-assist at 28 mph (45 km/h) and 750W, a structure the author credits with accelerating e-bike adoption but says leaves a gap for riders who want more than a bicycle without a 400-pound motorcycle.
- Infinite Machine Olto is cited as a working example of this middle category — a two-seat, cargo-capable two-wheeler that reaches about 35 mph in an unlocked moped mode that lifts the 20 mph / 750W e-bike cap to 35 mph / 2,000W.
- Europe's L1e and L3e categories split 50cc mopeds from higher-power motorbikes, a framework the author says the US could mirror with slightly higher speed limits to match American city streets.
- Other compact electric two-wheelers the author names as evidence the demand exists include the Beachman Aviator and the Engwe M20 3.0.
- Urban speed context noted in the piece: many US cities post 25 mph limits, but actual traffic flows roughly 10 mph faster, which the author says is unrealistic for an e-bike but well-suited to a 35 mph-capable electric moped class.
- Author's regulatory ask includes mirroring European practice with a dedicated low-speed electric vehicle class requiring helmets and registration, but exempt from the full motorcycle regulatory burden applied to 55-75 mph machines.
Why it matters: The piece reframes the fast-e-bike debate as a regulatory gap: with the Olto, Aviator, and M20 3.0 already on US streets exceeding e-bike limits, the author argues that without a dedicated low-speed class around 35 mph, regulators either have to loosen e-bike rules or treat commuting-grade machines like highway motorcycles — a definition originally drawn before electric mobility existed.
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