Amazon announced plans to stop selling certain high-speed electric bicycles in California following a series of high-profile incidents and a consumer alert issued by the state attorney general last month.
In April, an 81-year-old man in Orange County died after a teenager riding an illegal e-motorcycle struck him. Authorities later charged the teen’s mother, Tommi Jo Mejer, with involuntary manslaughter in the death of Ed Ashman, saying officials had previously warned her that her son could not legally operate the vehicle.
Shortly before that crash, California Attorney General Rob Bonta and several county district attorneys released a consumer alert outlining safety laws tied to e-bikes. According to the alert, two-wheeled vehicles capable of exceeding 28 mph with pedal assistance or more than 20 mph using throttle assistance qualify as mopeds or motorcycles rather than e-bikes.
The alert warned that some retailers were advertising two-wheeled vehicles as electric bicycles even though they did not meet the legal definition. Unlike e-bikes, mopeds and motorcycles come with age restrictions and licensing requirements.
“Sometimes, what looks like an ebike or is marketed as an ebike is not a bike at all. We are seeing a surge of safety incidents on our sidewalks, parks and streets,” Rob Bonta said.
Amazon said it is working to remove listings for e-bikes or e-motorcycles that fail to comply with California regulations.
According to KCRA 3, investigators found vehicles advertised as e-bikes that were capable of traveling faster than 40 mph (65 km/h). After the outlet contacted Amazon, the company reportedly removed the listings and said third-party sellers offering e-bikes would need to comply with both state laws and company policies.
Todd Spitzer, the Orange County district attorney who charged Tommi Jo Mejer, praised the move and pointed out that a 13-year-old boy died last week after crashing an e-motorcycle he was riding.
“More than 100 deaths across the United States have resulted from ebike and E-motorcycle crashes and injuries have increased 430% in the last four years in southern California,” Spitzer said.