It should be pretty easy to tell by the type of motor it has. An e-bike with a low-watt motor isn’t going to suddenly become a menace by flipping a fancy switch.
Likewise if a bike has a motor capable of pulling 35 mph or whatever, then it doesn’t matter if they can turn a governor on to keep it below 25 mph. It’s still got the more powerful motor and will be classified as such
Not really, a 250W (average, not peak!) motor can exceed 25km/h easily on flat ground, the only difference to a stronger motor would be the acceleration.
Well, not “easily”. I think we can agree that all else being equal pedestrian outcomes are better when motors are 250W than 600W, whether or not limited. I think it’s totally reasonable to restrict unlicensed riders to motors with power output within normal human capacity, like 100-200W.
afaik, those numbers just don’t tell you a whole lot about the actual power of the motor. A “250W motor” could produce peak power output of 1kW during short bursts, as long as the average power over a longer time is at or below 250W, they’re fully legal.
It should be pretty easy to tell by the type of motor it has. An e-bike with a low-watt motor isn’t going to suddenly become a menace by flipping a fancy switch.
Likewise if a bike has a motor capable of pulling 35 mph or whatever, then it doesn’t matter if they can turn a governor on to keep it below 25 mph. It’s still got the more powerful motor and will be classified as such
Not really, a 250W (average, not peak!) motor can exceed 25km/h easily on flat ground, the only difference to a stronger motor would be the acceleration.
Disabling the electronic limit is the issue.
Well, not “easily”. I think we can agree that all else being equal pedestrian outcomes are better when motors are 250W than 600W, whether or not limited. I think it’s totally reasonable to restrict unlicensed riders to motors with power output within normal human capacity, like 100-200W.
afaik, those numbers just don’t tell you a whole lot about the actual power of the motor. A “250W motor” could produce peak power output of 1kW during short bursts, as long as the average power over a longer time is at or below 250W, they’re fully legal.