[Moto] When does an electric motorcycle stop being a motorcycle?

[#Wittels-]

The one of the electric models makes the line finer and finer

In recent times and thanks to the ease of its creation, we are seeing the arrival on the market of many models of electric motorcycles and bicycles, but where is the limit between whether they are motorcycles or bicycles?

 

Every day there is more urban mobility that passes through electrical appliances. Scooters, unicycles, bicycles, scooters... little by little they are filling the cities with users looking for cheaper, ecological and simpler mobility alternatives. If we add to this that technology has advanced enough to ensure that practically any manufacturer can buy the components separately and assemble them to get their product, the offer is almost endless.

And within this offer, the one that catches our attention is that of electric bicycles and electric motorcycles. Why the bikes? Well, because the line that separates them from electric mopeds is getting narrower. On paper there is no doubt: the electric bicycle has a motor that assists the pedaling, but it cannot function without it. In addition, this assistance arrives until 25 kilometers per hour are reached, from there it will not work. There are also limitations on the maximum power of such an engine. Meanwhile, an electric motorcycle or scooter has its motor and its battery and the power that reaches the wheel only depends on them.

But the reality is that today there are bicycles with cycle parts of a high level, almost as much as a motorcycle if not more, and we know that some exceed both the maximum speed and the requirement that you have to pedal. An example of this was the Bultaco Brinco, although in that case the version was approved as a moped to comply with the law. Or the Braih, a more recent sample of what we are talking about.

 

However, in the market we also find electric mopeds in their purest state. We are talking about the “Vespino 2.0”, that is to say, a model that can go both with pedals and with a motor independently. It is not the norm and anyone who has ever pedaled a Vespino or a Mobylette knows that it is not the best option in the world, but it exists in electric.

The curious thing in this case, such as that of the eRockit, is precisely its versatility in that sense, although it has something disconcerting. Its shape is motorcycle (unlike the Brinco) and also its power is 16 kW which means that it has more power by law than the 125 of the A1/B (limited to a maximum of 11 kW). It is still curious to see videos in which the motorcycle reaches 80 km/h while the user continues to pedal.

It is precisely that video that has made us wonder: Is it a motorcycle? Is it a vitaminized electric bike? Where is the limit? What is the difference? The truth is that we are not clear where the line is either, despite what the law says. What we do know is that pedaling while taking a curve is not particularly easy or recommended. And you, what do you think is the limit between electric bike and electric motorcycle (moped)?

 

Link: https://www.soymotero.net/cuando-una-moto-electrica-deja-de-ser-moto