Amazon halts sales of illegal high-speed ebikes in California after fatal crashes

Amazon said it plans to stop selling certain high-speed electric bicycles in California after a string of high-profile incidents and a consumer alert that the state attorney general issued last month. In April an 81-year-old man in Orange county died after a teenager illegally riding an e-motorcycle struck him. The teen’s mother, Tommi Jo Mejer, has since been charged with involuntary manslaughter in Ed Ashman’s death as officials say she was warned it was illegal for her son to operate the vehicle. Just before that incident, state attorney general Rob Bonta and several county district attorneys put forth a consumer alert about the safety laws related to ebikes. Vehicles with two wheels that can exceed 28mph using pedal assistance or can exceed 20mph with throttle assistance are considered mopeds or motorcycles rather than ebikes, the alert stated. The alert warned that retailers were marketing two-wheeled vehicles as electric bicycles when they did not qualify as such. Mopeds and motorcycles have age limits and require special licensing. “Sometimes, what looks like an ebike or is marketed as an ebike is not a bike at all. We are seeing a surge of safety incidents on our sidewalks, parks and streets,” Bonta said. Amazon said the retailer is working to remove listings for ebikes or e-motorcycles that do not comply with California regulations. KCRA 3 reported finding vehicles listed as ebikes that could exceed 40mph(65km/h). …