Proposed California bill seeks to rein in fast electric bicycle speeds
If a proposed new bill eventually becomes law, higher-speed electric bicycles may soon have a tougher row to hoe in California.
Electric bicycle speeds in the state, which uses a similar three-class system as most of the US, are limited to either 20 mph (32 km/h) for Class 1 and 2 electric bicycles or 28 mph (45 km/h) for Class 3 electric bicycles.
However, because electric bicycles are relatively simple to work on, it’s fairly easy for many owners to modify some of them to go even faster. In some cases, devices are available for purchase that can help e-bike owners do just that.
California Assembly Bill 1774 seeks to limit the sale of such devices that could help e-bike riders remove speed limits on their bikes.
The proposed legislation, which recently moved out of committee and is now headed to the larger assembly, “would prohibit a person from selling a product or device that can modify the speed capability of an electric bicycle such that it no longer meets the definition of an electric bicycle.”
The goal is to prevent the proliferation of illegally fast electric bicycles, which would technically fall entirely outside the legal realm of bicycles. Instead, such out-of-class e-bikes would need to be reclassed as mopeds or motorcycles, which come with heavier regulatory burdens.
Higher speeds also mean longer stopping distances and more severe injuries in the event of a crash. Proponents of the bill argue that cities and municipalities may not be equipped to handle the increased speeds on their existing bike infrastructure, potentially leading to more accidents.
Moreover, insurance and liability issues become more complicated when e-bikes exceed their intended speed limits and enter into moped or motorcycle-level classes.
The bill’s goal is clear, though it might not be as effective as its authors hope. While devices that can be used to de-restrict electric bicycles do exist, they are actually quite rare in the field of e-bike hot-rodding.
It is much more common for e-bike owners to use built-in methods to remove speed limits built into the e-bikes, such as through software means, including changing user-accessible settings. There are also physical methods that don’t require any purchases, such as cutting a hidden “speed-limiting wire” or manipulating wheel magnets designed to interpret the bike’s current speed.
While the bill doesn’t directly address these types of modifications, the law that it is amending technically already makes such modifications illegal if they ultimately push the performance of the e-bike outside of the legally defined limits of electric bicycles, i.e., above either 20 or 28 mph speeds, depending on the class.
There are currently no laws in California limiting the top speed capabilities of cars or outlawing the hot-rodding of cars to travel faster than their manufacturer’s pre-designed limits.
A debate over speed
Supporters of the legislation argue that increasing the top speed of electric bicycles poses significant safety risks. Devices that override built-in speed limits can push speeds much higher, leading to dangerous situations on bike paths.
On the other hand, opponents of the bill believe that restricting the self-modification of privately owned e-bikes is an overreach that could hamper the advantages of such vehicles. They argue that many riders use faster electric bicycles responsibly and appreciate the additional power and speed for practical reasons, such as commuting over longer distances or keeping up with the speed of car traffic when forced to share the road in areas without sufficient bike lane infrastructure.
Is there a middle ground to be found?
The proposed bill comes at a time when a heated discussion has already been raging about the balance between safety and transportation benefits in the e-bike industry, especially among young riders.
While the need to protect public safety is undeniable, finding a solution that also supports the growth and benefits of environmentally-conscious electric bikes will be essential. What do you think? Let’s hear your thoughts in the comment section below!
via: CBS8
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Environment
U.S. Steel shares rally as Trump approves Nippon takeover with unique government ‘golden share’
Trails of Iranian ballistic missiles light up the night sky as seen from Gaza City during renewed missile strikes launched by Iran in retaliation against Israel on June 15, 2025.
Anadolu | Anadolu | Getty Images
Tehran will “pay the price” for its fresh missile onslaught against Israel, the Jewish state’s defense minister warned Monday, as markets braced for a fourth day of ramped-up conflict between the regional powers.
Fire exchanges have continued since Israel’s Friday attack against Iran, with Iranian media reporting Tehran’s latest strikes hit Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Haifa, home to a major refinery. CNBC has reached out to operator Bazan for comment on the state of operations at the Haifa plant, amid reports of damage to Israel’s energy infrastructure.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said overnight it deployed “innovative methods” that “disrupted the enemy’s multi-layered defense systems, to the point that the Zionist air defense systems engaged in targeting each other,” according to a statement obtained by NBC News.
Israel has widely depended on its highly efficient Iron Dome missile defense system to fend off attacks throughout regional conflicts — but even it can be overwhelmed if a large number of projectiles are fired.
The fresh hostilities are front-of-mind for investors, who have been weighing the odds of further escalation in the conflict and spillover into the broader oil-rich Middle East, amid concerns over crude supplies and the key shipping lane through the Strait of Hormuz connecting the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
Oil prices retained the gains of recent days and at 09:19 a.m. London time, Ice Brent futures with August delivery were trading at $73.81 per barrel, down 0.57% from the previous trading session. The Nymex WTI contract with July expiry was at $72.7 per barrel, 0.38% lower.
Elsewhere, however, markets showed initial signs of shrugging off the latest hostilities early on Monday.
Spot prices for key safe-haven asset gold retreated early morning, down 0.42% to $3,417.83 per ounce after nearly notching a two-year-high earlier in the session, with U.S. gold futures also down 0.65% to $ 3,430.5
Tel Aviv share indices pointed higher, with the blue-chip TA-35 up 0.99% and the wider TA-125 up 1.33%.
European stock markets opened higher Monday, meanwhile, and U.S. stock futures were also in the green.
Luis Costa, global head of EM sovereign credit at Citigroup Global Markets, signaled the muted reaction could be, in part, attributed to hopes of a brisk resolution to the conflict.
“So markets are obviously, you know, bearing in mind all potential scenarios. There are obviously potentially very bad scenarios in this story,” he told CNBC’s “Europe Early Edition” on Monday. “But there is still a way out in terms of, you know, a faster resolution and bringing Iran to the table, or a short continuation here, of a very surgical and intense strike by the Israeli army.”
U.S. response in focus
As of Monday morning, Israel’s national emergency service Magen David Adom reported four dead and 87 injured following rocket strikes at four sites in “central Israel,” reporting collapsed buildings, fire and people trapped under debris.
Accusing Tehran of targeting civilians in Israel to prevent the Israel Defense Forces from “continuing the attack that is collapsing its capabilities,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, a close longtime ally of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said in a Google-translated social media update that “the residents of Tehran will pay the price, and soon.”
The IDF on Sunday said it had in turn “completed a wide-scale wave of strikes on numerous weapon production sites belonging to the Quds Force, the IRGC and the Iranian military, in Tehran.”
CNBC could not independently verify developments on the ground.
The U.S.’ response is now in focus, given its close support and arms provision to Israel, the unexpected cancellation of Washington’s latest nuclear deal talks with Iran, and President Donald Trump’s historically hard-hitting stance against Tehran during his first term.
Trump, who has been pushing Iran for a deal over its nuclear program, has weighed in on the conflict, opposing an Israeli proposal to kill Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to NBC News.
Discussions about the conflict are expected to take place during the ongoing meeting of the G7, encapsulating Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the U.K. and the U.S., along with the European Union.
— CNBC’s Katrina Bishop contributed to this report.
A Tesla Model 3 got stuck on a train track and was hit, albeit slightly, by a train in Sinking Spring, PA. The driver claimed it was in “self-driving mode.”
According to the fire alerts in Berks County, a Tesla Model 3 drove around a train track barrier near South Hull Street and Columbia Avenue and got stuck in the tracks.
The driver was able to exit the vehicle, but a train hit the car, reportedly snapping off the side mirror.
The fire commissioner ordered to stop all train traffic as the emergency services worked to get the Model 3 off the tracks using a crane.
Spitlers Garage & Towing, performed the recovery and shared a few pictures on Facebook:
The Tesla driver reportedly claimed that the vehicle was in “self-driving mode” leading up to getting stuck on the train tracks.
Tesla claims that all its vehicles built since 2016 will be capable of unsupervised self-driving with software updates; however, this has yet to occur.
Instead, Tesla has been selling a “Full Self-Driving” (FSD) package for up to $15,000 that requires the driver to constantly supervise the vehicle, with the driver remaining responsible for the car at all times.
Electrek’s Take
There have been instances of Tesla drivers engaging in reckless behavior and then attributing it to the Full Self-Driving (FSD) features.
I’m not saying it’s the case here, but it’s a possibility.
On the other side, I’ve seen FSD try to navigate around construction barriers. It’s possible that it tried to do that in this case, here and then got caught on the tracks.
We would need more data.
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