State Senators Urge AG James to Issue Illegal E-Moto Warning

High-speed illegal e-motos and e-scooter are all over the Big Apple, with deadly results — and now a group of state lawmakers wants Attorney General Letitia James to stem the tide.

James’s office should issue an official consumer alert “reminding manufacturers, retailers and consumers that many of the micromobility vehicles available for sale … are illegal and extremely unsafe for use in New York State,” nine state senators said in a letter issued last Thursday, following a deadly May 28 head-on collision on the Queensboro Bridge between a cyclist and a man on an illegal e-scooter.

“Consumers shouldn’t have to guess whether a vehicle being marketed and shipped to New York is legal to operate on our streets. Right now, high-powered scooters capable of traveling far above New York’s legal speed limits are being sold online with little or no warning about the law or the safety risks they pose,” State Sen. Erik Bottcher (D-Manhattan) said in a statement. “Asking the Attorney General to issue a consumer alert is a simple, commonsense step that will help educate New Yorkers, improve public safety and prevent future tragedies while we pursue additional legislative solutions.”

Streetsblog previously identified the scooter in the May 28 collision as a Blade GT II from the Chinese brand Teverun. The vehicle’s 4900W motor can reach 53 miles per hour in four seconds, according to Teverun’s advertising — more than six-times New York state’s legal wattage limit for e-bikes. City law prohibits the use of e-scooters that go over 20 mph.

New York law prohibits e-bikes with more than 750MW of power or max speeds over 28 mph. For stand up scooters, state law has no clear wattage cutoff, but max speeds are 20 mph. City law enforcement officials have largely contained the brick-and-mortar sale of illegal e-motos and e-scooters, but online sales remain an unregulated “Wild West” where anyone can buy anything.

“We are saddened by this story and disturbed by the news that the scooter that caused the crash can be purchased directly from the manufacturer for just $1,699 and shipped to a New York City address,” the senators said in their letter.

The senators also promised legislation in next year’s state legislation session, asking that in the meantime James follow in the footsteps of California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who issued a similar consumer alert in April.

Bonta’s warning clarified in plain language that any retailer selling an electric bike that goes over 28 mph is breaking the law. Bonta also warned consumers about purchasing after-market modification kits to alter otherwise legal e-bikes and scooters. Amazon responded by blocking the shipping of illegal e-motos and scooters in California.

The Empire State lawmakers hope a warning from the attorney general could persuade companies like Amazon to do the same in New York, where anyone can still log onto an online retailer and buy any of a number of non-street-legal vehicles marketed as e-bikes.

Attorney General James issues consumer alerts when products pose a safety risk to New Yorkers, or to clarify state regulations. In March, her office put out an alert to remind New York businesses that is illegal to deny cash payment, and in February she warned New Yorkers of the potential harms of sports betting and prediction markets.

“We greatly appreciate the proactive role you have taken to protect New Yorkers from predatory business practices, and we believe that your help in alerting the public to the dangers these vehicles pose can help us to avoid tragedies like the crash on the Queensboro Bridge in the future,” the state pols said in their letter.

Without consumer-side action, some states have taken to passing draconian laws which limit the use of legal e-bikes instead of targeting the already illegal vehicles. New Jersey’s e-bike registration law, which went into effect on Sunday, forces Garden Staters with legal low-speed e-bikes to register them with the state Motor Vehicle Commission — but does nothing to stop the proliferation of illegal e-motos.

The Attorney General’s office received the letter and is reviewing it, a spokesperson said.

The letter was also signed by state Sens. Liz Krueger, Kristen Gonzalez, Cordell Cleare, Julia Salazar, Luis Sepúlveda, Andrew Gounardes, Roxanne Persaud and Robert Jackson.

In a statement, Krueger identified so-called “point of sale” regulations as a potential common ground for supporters and opponents of legal e-bikes.

“Though there can often be disagreements between bike riders, pedestrians, and drivers, everyone can agree that a scooter cruising 50 mph in a bike lane is unsafe and unacceptable. Unfortunately, it is a growing problem that we need to get our arms around,” Krueger said. “That’s why we’re asking the Attorney General to act now within existing laws to try to reduce the volume of these vehicles on the road, while I and my colleagues explore what new legislation may be possible and necessary to address this issue.”