Presumably Japan, which appears to be the only market in which this will be sold. In the US this would absolutely fall into the legal limbo where most low-output electric two wheeled things are inevitably mired, which will result in most/all states refusing to plate them.
If you’re going to have to ride dirty anyhow, you may as well just rice out a Surron and at least have a hope of outrunning the cops on it.
In Germany people who were born before 1980 can ride a 25kph moped without a license, but those are kind of useless.
However a 45kph moped only needs a really easy license and if you have the car license you automatically get it, so as long as you are allowed to drive cars you can drive scooters like this too.
Wow, I can ride faster than that on my 30+lb hardtail (I’ve got it modified for more comfortable commutes). Even 45kph seems slow, I figured it’d be more like 50-60kph for an actual moped.
In Japan it requires a 原付 (< 50 cc engine-attached (literally)) license which, as the article points out, is easier to get than even a regular driving license. Japan has normal vehicle (which includes mopeds but not motorcycles) in at-only and manual+auto, gentsuki (moped), 125cc, 250cc, 400cc, and > 400cc motorbikes (also in manual and auto flavors), and then various truck and equipment licenses.
In California, the largest motorcycle market in the USA, this would be regulated as a moped (CVC Section 406), since it is electric, has a motor less than 3 kW (4 HP in old money), and a top speed of less than 30 MPH (48 kph).
Riders wouldn’t need an M1 motorcycle license, but instead an M2 moped license would suffice. An M1 license allows riding anything that needs an M2 license, such as this moped. The process for an M2 is classroom instruction, and then a brief practical exam. There is no annual registration for mopeds, but there is a one-time plate fee, to obtain a plate from the DMV. There is no insurance requirement for mopeds.
A moped can be ridden in either traffic lanes and bike lanes (but not shoulders, which only bicycles are permitted to use). Whereas bicycles are obligated to use a bike lane when present (with a few obvious exceptions), a moped is not forced to use a bike lane. When riding in a traffic lane, a moped must keep to the right-most lane if slower than all other traffic.
IANAL, but all of this can be verified in the CVC. The result is that mopeds (a vestige of the 1970s oil crisis) could absolutely make a comeback if priced correctly, since ebikes already provide similar mobility.
Fun fact, the M2 licence in California (at least when I took it) uses the same low speed precision turning course that motorcycles do, which is, ironically, even harder to navigate on an automatic transmission moped. I only managed it through a gas and brake, gas and brake, jerky start and stop to keep my speed down enough to make the tight turns.
yeah, my motor is 750W (right under 1HP), top speed 28. it has a throttle so it’s class 2 electric, no license needed.
i really want to figure out how to change the max speed on the throttle to something lower so i can get better mileage and maybe go someplace a little further, but i’m not entirely sure how the math maths on that one (friction and air resistance y’know) and not have to buy an extra battery, but we’ll see
because i don’t want to have to pay that close attention to “am i going 12 mph” the whole damn way and the “cruise control” functions are a joke, just turning those on drains half the battery
Seems odd that CC itself would use much extra power: What’s your ride? My EP2 has CC and I have not noticed any impact on battery using it vs not using it. In fact, keeping CC at a lowish speed seems to prolong the battery life a bit on mine, even with no pedaling assuming all other things equal.
“No motorcycle license” where?
Presumably Japan, which appears to be the only market in which this will be sold. In the US this would absolutely fall into the legal limbo where most low-output electric two wheeled things are inevitably mired, which will result in most/all states refusing to plate them.
If you’re going to have to ride dirty anyhow, you may as well just rice out a Surron and at least have a hope of outrunning the cops on it.
In Germany people who were born before 1980 can ride a 25kph moped without a license, but those are kind of useless.
However a 45kph moped only needs a really easy license and if you have the car license you automatically get it, so as long as you are allowed to drive cars you can drive scooters like this too.
Wow, I can ride faster than that on my 30+lb hardtail (I’ve got it modified for more comfortable commutes). Even 45kph seems slow, I figured it’d be more like 50-60kph for an actual moped.
In Japan it requires a 原付 (< 50 cc engine-attached (literally)) license which, as the article points out, is easier to get than even a regular driving license. Japan has normal vehicle (which includes mopeds but not motorcycles) in at-only and manual+auto, gentsuki (moped), 125cc, 250cc, 400cc, and > 400cc motorbikes (also in manual and auto flavors), and then various truck and equipment licenses.
In California, the largest motorcycle market in the USA, this would be regulated as a moped (CVC Section 406), since it is electric, has a motor less than 3 kW (4 HP in old money), and a top speed of less than 30 MPH (48 kph).
Riders wouldn’t need an M1 motorcycle license, but instead an M2 moped license would suffice. An M1 license allows riding anything that needs an M2 license, such as this moped. The process for an M2 is classroom instruction, and then a brief practical exam. There is no annual registration for mopeds, but there is a one-time plate fee, to obtain a plate from the DMV. There is no insurance requirement for mopeds.
A moped can be ridden in either traffic lanes and bike lanes (but not shoulders, which only bicycles are permitted to use). Whereas bicycles are obligated to use a bike lane when present (with a few obvious exceptions), a moped is not forced to use a bike lane. When riding in a traffic lane, a moped must keep to the right-most lane if slower than all other traffic.
IANAL, but all of this can be verified in the CVC. The result is that mopeds (a vestige of the 1970s oil crisis) could absolutely make a comeback if priced correctly, since ebikes already provide similar mobility.
Fun fact, the M2 licence in California (at least when I took it) uses the same low speed precision turning course that motorcycles do, which is, ironically, even harder to navigate on an automatic transmission moped. I only managed it through a gas and brake, gas and brake, jerky start and stop to keep my speed down enough to make the tight turns.
yeah, my motor is 750W (right under 1HP), top speed 28. it has a throttle so it’s class 2 electric, no license needed.
i really want to figure out how to change the max speed on the throttle to something lower so i can get better mileage and maybe go someplace a little further, but i’m not entirely sure how the math maths on that one (friction and air resistance y’know) and not have to buy an extra battery, but we’ll see
Why not just go easier on the throttle? Or drop it to a lower level you program to 12mph at the lowest or second lowest?
because i don’t want to have to pay that close attention to “am i going 12 mph” the whole damn way and the “cruise control” functions are a joke, just turning those on drains half the battery
Seems odd that CC itself would use much extra power: What’s your ride? My EP2 has CC and I have not noticed any impact on battery using it vs not using it. In fact, keeping CC at a lowish speed seems to prolong the battery life a bit on mine, even with no pedaling assuming all other things equal.