A new bill submitted to the Oregon Legislative Assembly seeks to ban street-legal Class 3 electric bicycles from bike lanes in the state.

Class 3 electric bicycles include those that can reach motor-assisted speeds of up to 28 mph (45 km/h), whereas Class 1 and 2 electric bicycles can only reach 20 mph (32 km/h) under motor assist.

Under Senate Bill 471, the proposed legislation would make it an offense if a rider “operates a moped or a Class 3 electric assisted bicycle upon a sidewalk, a bicycle path or a bicycle lane.” Under Oregon law, traditional pedal bicycles can be legally operated on sidewalks unless restricted by a local ordinance, but e-bikes are already banned from operating on sidewalks.

Thus, the proposed legislation is effectively a ban on electric bikes capable of speeds exceeding 20 mph from being used in bike lanes. Instead, such bikes would only be permitted for use on public roadways.

In addition, Section 2 of the bill seeks to remove key protections for cyclists operating such 20+ mph electric bikes in bike lanes. Under current law, a motorist can be cited for failing to yield right of way to a cyclist in a bike lane when the motorist crosses over the bike lane, such as when crossing into a driveway, parking lot, etc.

The proposed legislation would remove the requirement for motorists to yield the right of way to cyclists on Class 3 e-bikes in bike lanes.

It should be noted that drivers cannot visually distinguish a Class 3 e-bike from other classes of e-bikes being ridden in a bike lane because the difference is performance-based.

Electrek’s Take

Sure, I support this law, as long as we can apply the logic equally. If the logic goes that Class 3 (28 mph maximum) e-bikes have the ability to be ridden faster than much of the traffic flow in a bike lane and thus should be banned in such bike lanes, then we might as well just ban cars capable of highway speeds from being operated on city streets. “Can your car go faster than 40 mph? Sorry, you know the rules. Keep that thing off city streets.”

It makes sense, right? Same logic. If it *can* go faster, it shouldn’t be allowed to operate there at all.

I mean, if a 60 lb e-bike that has the potential to go 8 mph faster than another e-bike is such a menace to public health and safety, then oh lordy what must we think of 5,000 lb vehicles that can easily exceed 120 mph with just a two-inch deviation of a distracted driver’s big toe? Surely we’ll be kicking those out of cities any day now, right? Right, guys? Guys…?

Ok, let’s get serious now. This law is awful and the legislators that conjured it up should be put on a 21 mph bicycle and forced to spend a couple minutes riding with their handlebar inches from 40+ mph cars to truly understand what real danger is. Then let’s hear them try to tell us how it’s a Class 3 e-bike that is the true danger.

I’m not trying to say that we should completely ignore that sometimes people get hit by an e-bike. It happens. It has even been lethal on exceedingly rare occasions. But you know what happens on regular occasions? Cyclists and pedestrians getting hit and killed by cars. So instead of spending legislative effort trying to push e-bikes back out onto roads, maybe we should expend some effort keeping car fenders off of cyclists’ bodies. Or invest in more bike lanes. Or increase enforcement of traffic violations for all road users. Or increase awareness education for drivers and riders alike. There are so many good answers, but none of them can be found in this bill.

via: KMTR

Swedish and Chinese EV automaker Polestar has shared an updated business strategy, looking to 2025 and beyond as its next chapter in growth. Per the release detailed below, Polestar is expecting increased sales volume, especially as its long-promised Polestar 5 GT is set to launch this year. Additionally, the automaker confirmed its Polestar 7 model will be a compact SUV and its most affordable BEV to date.

Polestar remains a growing name in the EV segment, and more and more people are becoming aware of the Geely-owned brand as it brings more models to market. Its two most recent were the Polestar 3 SUV and 4 crossover, built in the US and China, respectively. According to Polestar, those two models have gained “strong product momentum,” accounting for 56% of orders in Q4 2024.

Polestar looks to ride that wave into 2025 and add to its impetus with the launch of the Polestar 5, a sports sedan based on the automaker’s Precept concept EV that is targeting up to 884 hp and will attempt to compete against some of the big boys, like the Tesla Model S and Porsche Taycan.

While it won’t be part of Polestar’s 2025 launches, the automaker’s executives have divulged some new details about a new model called the Polestar 7, which was teased back in April 2024.

Polestar 7 to replace the 2 as its entry-level model

According to a release published on its investor page, Polestar expects a fruitful 2025 that will set the town for its revamped business strategy through at least 2027. Per the automaker, it is targeting compound annual retail sales volume growth of 30-35% over the next three years and positive adjusted EBITDA in 2025. Furthermore, Polestar executives expect positive free cash flow after investments in 2027. Polestar CEO Michael Lohscheller elaborated:

With Scandinavian design, performance and a premium brand, Polestar has successfully positioned itself in the global automotive market. We have three outstanding cars on the road and a growing, passionate customer base.We are building on the strong Polestar brand with design and performance at its core.

But significant changes are needed to make this well-respected progressive brand a successful and viable business. We are speeding up our retail expansion and commercial transformation, whilst adjusting our future model line-up and significantly reducing our cost base. Both in terms of volumes and financials, we expect 2025 to be the strongest year in Polestar’s history.

Part of Polestar’s success in 2025 will depend on the start of sales of the Polestar 5, the automaker’s first model to sit atop an 800V platform. According to the company, that launch is expected in the second half of this year. Until then, Polestar will continue to push sales of its current lineup, which consists of the Polestar 2, 3, and 4.

While the Polestar 2 will be remembered as the BEV that put the brand on the map, its days are unfortunately numbered. Previous Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath said the company intends to phase out the 2 sedans around 2027, and its successor will be a new model called the Polestar 7.

We hadn’t heard much about the Polestar 7 since then, but the company confirmed today that it will arrive as a premium compact SUV. Additionally, we’ve learned the Polestar 7 will be the brand’s first model built in Europe. With production footprints in China, South Korea, and the US, Europe is a natural next step in expansion, especially for an affordable, compact SUV the Polestar 7 promises to be, because that is such a popular segment in the EU.

The Polestar 7 will also represent a new design strategy for the automaker. From that launch onward, it will “gradually move from a multi-platform approach to one single architecture, reducing complexity, costs, and investments.”

While we’ve learned what style of BEV the Polestar 7 will be, we don’t know much else at this point. With the expectation that we won’t see anything come to market until 2027 at the earliest, our immediate focus will remain on the upcoming launch of the Polestar 5 in 2025, followed by the Polestar 6 roadster convertible in 2026.