Why more college campuses are starting to ban electric bikes
Students around the US are now heading back to college, but there’s one thing many of them won’t be able to bring with them: electric bikes and e-scooters. Several campuses are joining a growing movement in higher education, banning these efficient transportation alternatives.
Electric bicycles, which are similar to pedal bicycles with an additional small battery and motor, have proven to be an incredibly popular choice for university students navigating campuses and college towns.
They’re easier to ride than a pedal bicycle, don’t require arriving to class sweaty, and are also much less expensive than owning a car. Other advantages such as free parking and minimal upkeep also make them ideal for students.
E-bikes, which usually cost between $1,000- $4,000, are fairly expensive compared to pedal bikes, and thus many students keep them in their dorm room or apartment to prevent theft.
But many colleges are starting to ban these popular and environmentally-friendly forms of transportation, either from being kept in dorm rooms or from being used anywhere on campus. So far we’ve seen two main reasons for these bans, both of which are claimed to be rooted in safety.
Fires and collisions
The two main issues at the heart of the debate around e-bikes and e-scooters on campuses relate to fire safety and collisions with pedestrians.
E-bike fires have grabbed headlines over the last year. There have been several deadly apartment fires in NYC that have been traced back to e-bike battery fires started during overnight charging.
While e-bike fires are incredibly rare (every day millions of e-bikes are charged without a fire), the small yet growing number of examples from cheaply-made electric bikes underscores that the issue can still prove lethal.
E-bike riders that flaunt traffic rules or ride aggressively on sidewalks around pedestrians have also lead to an increasing number of collisions, often injuring pedestrians. The problem can be exacerbated on college campuses that have a large number of students, meaning a penchant for riskier riding in an area with more pedestrians on their phones and oblivious to their surroundings.
Those two issues, fire safety and pedestrian injuries, are commonly cited among a growing number of universities telling students not to bring e-bikes and e-scooters to campus.
Boston College administrators sent a letter out to students earlier this year citing both examples in their campus scooter ban:
“In recent weeks, Boston College administrators have become increasingly concerned about the use of e-scooters and other electric transportation devices on campus, especially in regard to the health and personal safety of riders, pedestrians, and building occupant. Many faculty, staff, and students have reported near-collisions and limited access to facilities because of scooters, and recharging lithium batteries in such vehicles has resulted in numerous fires around the United States. Additionally, a number of BC students have suffered injuries from e-scooter falls, and such accidents have caused serious injuries on college campuses across the country.”
Fordham University, in New York City, banned any transportation device powered by a battery.
San Diego State University instituted a similar ban on battery-powered personal transportation devices, though reversed the decision after significant backlash.
Some campuses haven’t banned e-bikes outright, but won’t allow students to store them on campus, which often becomes a de facto ban.
Yale University recently sent out an email to all students announcing a new policy banning e-bikes both in on-campus housing as well as in the courtyards of buildings.
Electrek’s Take
I think these kind of heavy-handed regulations and blanket bans are an overreaction, doing more harm than good.
I could spend all day linking studies that show the tremendous benefits of e-bikes. Want to get to class faster, save money on public transportation and avoid rounding out with the freshmen fifteen all at the same time? Use an electric bike!
I know that when I was in college, there were times when I couldn’t physically get from one class to another in time due to the distance. I had two classes a half mile apart with ten minutes to get there. While that’s runnable, doing so with all your books and then navigating campus buildings makes it all but impossible. With an e-bike though, it’d be a snap. And that’s one of the many reasons that so many students turn to e-bikes. It’s the reason I did. This was back in 2009, and the next year I became the first person on campus with an e-bike. Hell, I was probably the first person in the city with an e-bike. So I’m not talking theoretically here – I’ve been in the student trenches and I know what a difference having an e-bike on campus makes for personal mobility. And it’s not just about getting to class on time. Getting around the city when you don’t own a car can be tough, but an e-bike makes it both easy and enjoyable.
I don’t mean to make light of the real safety concerns, but I think there is room for balanced solutions. Campuses can mandate that only UL-listed e-bikes are allowed on campus. The number of e-bikes fitting that list is growing every day. It’s easy to require students to show up at a campus office with their ride and get a sticker for it. No parking sticker? Don’t bring your non-UL-listed e-bike to campus.
For hooligan riding, just fine the hell out of them. College students are broke. I remember buying the $4.90 pizza that tasted like crap because the $5.00 halfway decent pizza across the street was more expensive. Put the fear of fines into students. Getting caught riding on sidewalks or riding recklessly can be policed into a manageable situation. Hell, put a bounty on it. Let students take pictures of someone riding recklessly and text it to campus police (who, let’s face it, usually aren’t overburdened with solving the case of the century most of the time). A $20 gift card to the campus bookstore is a small price to pay to cut down on the few bad apples that ruin it for all the responsible students just trying to mind their own business and ride safely to class.
In summary: stop banning e-bikes. Just incentivize safe, responsible e-bike use and punish rule breaking. That’s how society works. Why not start college students on it a few years earlier?
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Environment
Tesla US sales drop to under 40,000 units following tax credit expiration, lowest in years
Tesla’s US sales have taken a significant hit in November, dropping to just 39,800 units according to new data. This comes as the market adjusts to the expiration of the federal tax credit, despite Tesla’s attempt to mitigate the blow with more discounts.
Since the federal EV tax credit expired at the end of September, the US electric vehicle market has been in a bit of a turmoil. We expected a hangover period after the rush to buy in Q3, but the numbers for November are stark.
According to new estimates from Cox Automotive (via Reuters), Tesla sold approximately 39,800 vehicles in the US in November.
That represents a roughly 23% drop compared to the 51,513 vehicles delivered in November 2024. It is also reportedly Tesla’s lowest monthly sales volume in the US since January 2022.
It’s important to note that Tesla doesn’t release monthly sales numbers and therefore, those are estimates based on data collected by Cox.
The drop comes despite Tesla’s best efforts to stimulate demand. Following the expiration of the $7,500 federal tax credit, the automaker launched new “Standard” range versions of the Model 3 and Model Y in October, priced roughly $5,000 lower than the previous base models to offset the loss of the incentive.
Those vehicles are expected to start more meaningfully contributing to sales next year.
However, Cox Automotive suggests this strategy could have a minimal impact. Stephanie Valdez Streaty, Cox’s director of industry insights, noted:
“The drop certainly shows there is not enough demand for the Standard variants that were supposed to boost sales after the tax credit expiry. What’s also happening is Standard sales are cannibalizing into sales of Premium versions, especially the Model 3.”
While a 23% drop looks bad on paper, it is worth noting that Tesla is actually weathering the storm better than the rest of the EV market.
Overall US EV sales reportedly plummeted by over 41% in November. Because Tesla’s decline was less severe than its competitors, the company actually saw its market share increase to 56.7%, up from 43.1% a year ago.
Most other automakers relied heavily on the tax credit to move their electric inventory, and without it, they are seeing demand evaporate much faster than Tesla.
Electrek’s Take
It’s sad to see. Elon Musk, Tesla’s CEO, pushed for this to happen, and he always said that he believed Tesla would fare better than other automakers without the tax credit. He was right. The sad part is that it goes completely against Tesla’s mission to accelerate the advent of electric transportation.
Tesla used US incentives as a ladder to reach volume production, and as soon as it did, it pulled the ladder behind it so others couldn’t use it.
What a shame.
And all for what? To be a bigger fish in a smaller pond? Because that’s only going to work in the US. In Europe and China, Tesla’s sales are declining, while other automakers’ EV sales are surging.
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Environment
India’s inflation rises to 0.71% in November as decline in food, fuel prices loses steam
EV and battery supply chain research specialists Benchmark Mineral Intelligence reports that 2.0 million electric vehicles were sold globally in November 2025, bringing global EV sales to 18.5 million units year-to-date. That’s a 21% increase compared to the same period in 2024.
Europe was the clear growth leader in November, while North America continued to lag following the expiration of US EV tax credits. China, meanwhile, remains the world’s largest EV market by a wide margin.
Europe leads global growth
Europe’s EV market jumped 36% year-over-year in November 2025, with BEV sales up 35% and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) sales rising 39%. That brings Europe’s total EV sales to 3.8 million units for the year so far, up 33% compared to January–November 2024.
France finally returned to year-to-date growth in November, edging up 1% after spending most of 2025 in the red following earlier subsidy cuts. The rebound was led by OEMs such as the Volkswagen Group and Renault, a wider selection of EV models, and France’s “leasing social” program, aimed at helping lower-income households switch to EVs.
Italy also posted a standout month, logging record EV sales of just under 25,000 units in November. The surge followed the launch of a new incentive program designed to replace older ICE vehicles. The program earmarks €597.3 million (about $700 million) in funding for the replacement of around 39,000 gas cars.
The UK expanded access to its full £3,750 ($4,400) EV subsidy by adding five more eligible models: the Nissan Leaf (built in Sunderland, with deliveries starting in early 2026), the MINI Countryman, Renault 4, Renault 5, and Alpine A290.
US market slows after federal tax credit’s premature death
In North America, EV sales in the US did tick up month-over-month in November, following a sharp October drop after federal tax credits expired on September 30, 2025. Brands including Kia (up 30%), Hyundai (up 20%), Honda (up 11%), and Subaru (232 Solterra sales versus just 13 the month before) all saw gains, but overall volumes remain below levels when the federal tax credit was still available.
Policy changes aren’t helping. In early December, Trump formally “reset” US Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards, lowering the required fleetwide average to about 34.5 mpg by 2031. That’s a steep drop from the roughly 50.4 mpg target under the previous rule. Automakers can now meet the standard largely through gas vehicles, reducing pressure to scale BEVs and PHEVs.
Those loosened rules are already reflected in investment decisions, such as Stellantis’ $13 billion plan to expand US production by 50%, with a heavy focus on ICE vehicles. Earlier this year, Trump’s big bill set fines for missing CAFE targets to $0, further weakening the incentive for OEMs to electrify.
That’s some foolish policymaking, considering the world reached peak gas car sales in 2017. The US under Trump will be left behind, just as it will be with its attempts to revive the coal industry.
China still dominates, exports surge
China remains the backbone of global EV sales, even as growth slows. The Chinese market grew 3% year-over-year and 4% month-over-month in November. Year-to-date, EV sales in China are up 19%, with 11.6 million units sold.
One of the biggest headlines out of China is exports. BYD reported a record 131,935 EV exports in November, blowing past its previous high of around 90,000 units set in June. BYD sales in Europe have jumped more than fourfold this year to around 200,000 vehicles, doubled in Southeast Asia, and climbed by more than 50% in South America.
Global snapshot
Global EV sales from January to November 2025 vs January to November 2024, YTD %:
- Global: 18.5 million, +21%
- China: 11.6 million, +19%
- Europe: 3.8 million, +33%
- North America: 1.7 million, -1%
- Rest of World: 1.5 million, +48%
The takeaway: EV demand continues to grow worldwide, but policy support – or the lack thereof – is increasingly shaping where this growth shows up.
“Overall, EV demand remains resilient, supported by expanding model ranges and sustained policy incentives worldwide,” said Rho Motion data manager Charles Lester.
Read more: EV sales *still* have not fallen, cooled, slowed or slumped. Media is lying to you.
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