Electric bikes, scooters and mopeds

Speed, power and pedals decide what you are riding.

The same step-through frame is a bicycle at 20 mph, a moped at 30 and a motorcycle above that. In the European Union, a throttle that works above 6 km/h makes it a registered moped. Every state and major market, sorted by the rules, with the drive system, the battery and the factory behind each badge.

US e-bike classes
3 no Class 4
US motor limit
750 W
EU assist cutoff
25 km/h
Jurisdictions
51 US + 6 markets

Sections

Five ways into the same vehicle

Most brands are labels on a handful of drive systems and factories. Start from the law, the motor, the battery or the maker, and every path ends at the same vehicle.

Laws & Where to Ride

Helmets, minimum ages, plates, registration, sidewalks and trails for every vehicle class, state by state and in the European Union, United Kingdom, China, Japan, Canada and Australia. Each state page also covers its state parks, national parks and rail trails.

Drive Systems

Hub motors and mid-drives, torque sensing, and the makers behind them, from Bosch and Shimano to Bafang and DJI.

Batteries & Safety

Cells, packs, chargers and swap networks, and the certifications written after the fires: UL 2849, UL 2272 and EN 15194.

Makers & Brands

The brand directory, the contract factories in Taiwan and China, and the car brands that put their badge on someone else's frame.

Types

Every body style, from cargo and folding bikes to moped-style e-bikes and seated e-scooters, ordered by legal class.

State laws

Pick a state

One page per state: road rules for e-bikes, scooters and mopeds, then where each one is allowed off-road.

Texas

Classes
Three-class system
License, plate
None for Class 1 to 3
Helmet
No state rule; Austin requires one under 18
Class 3 age
15 and older
Sidewalks
Allowed unless a city bans them
State parks
Paved roads only, no trails
Full Texas page

Makers

A short list of drive makers sits behind hundreds of brands

Most e-bikes are a frame from a contract factory and a drive system from one of a few suppliers, sold under a local label. Car brands follow the same pattern at the top of the market.

BoschGermany
ShimanoJapan
YamahaJapan
BafangChina
AnandaChina
TQGermany
MahleGermany
Car-brand e-bikes and who builds them (full list)
BadgeBuilt byDrive system
PorscheRotwildShimano EP801; Porsche is closing Fazua, bought in 2022
AudiFanticBrose S-Mag
Mercedes-AMGN+Rear hub motor with a Pinion gearbox
LamborghiniItaltechnologyMotor with an 8-speed electromagnetic gearbox