Amazon halts California sales for e-bikes exceeding state speed limit
After a rash of incidents across the state, Amazon will stop selling some higher-speed e-bikes in California, according to the Orange County District Attorney.
In a post to X, DA Todd Spitzer said the company will "no longer sell e-bikes in California that exceed state speed limits" after Attorney General Rob Bonta partnered with Bay Area DAs on a consumer alert about the bikes last month. CBS LA reached out to Amazon for a statement, but has yet to hear back.
The consumer alert said that, per California law, two-wheeled vehicles that can exceed 28 miles per hour with pedal assistance or 20 mph with throttle assistance, meaning no pedaling necessary, are legally mopeds or e-motorcycles.
Mopeds and e-motorcycles remain legal and on Amazon's storefront, but require licenses and have age requirements.
"Sometimes, what looks like an e-bike or is marketed as an e-bike is not a bike at all. We are seeing a surge of safety incidents on our sidewalks, parks, and streets. Bike riders and parents: If your or your teen's electric two-wheeled vehicle goes too fast, it might be a motorcycle or a moped — not an e-bike," Bonta said. "To ride a motorcycle or moped, you need to have the appropriate driver's license and comply with rules of the road. With the popularity of e-bikes booming, I highly encourage manufacturers, retailers, and especially parents to review the consumer alert today and ensure they and their kids are complying with California law."
Recent incidents
Amazon's policy change comes after a rash of e-bike or e-motorcycle-related incidents has caused at least three deaths in Southern California over the last month.
On April 16, a 14-year-old boy was allegedly performing a wheelie on an e-motorcycle when he crashed into an 81-year-old substitute teacher outside of El Toro High School in Lake Forest. The teacher, Ed Ashman, later died from his injuries. The teen's mother, 50-year-old Tommi Jo Mejer of Aliso Viejo, is facing multiple charges, including involuntary manslaughter, after allegedly allowing her son to ride the e-motorcycle illegally.
In Simi Valley on April 25, a 13-year-old boy lost his life after he was hit by a train while riding an e-bike. A spokesperson for Simi Valley Unified School District said the teen was a student at Sinaloa Middle School, and Simi Youth Baseball identified him as Reis Beck.
A third death occurred on the night of May 7 in Garden Grove, where a 13-year-old lost control of an e-motorcycle while traveling about 35 miles per hour and collided with the center median. He's yet to be identified publicly.
In the Bay Area back in February, 16-year-old Kash Justin Krawetz died in Half Moon Bay when his e-motorcycle collided with a box truck in an intersection.