Personal Electric Vehicles, HB 715, Inexpedient to Legislate

Personal Electric Vehicles, HB-715, Inexpedient to Legislate (ITL’d, “killed”)

Our second attempt to address the many safety and legal concerns about the “Out-of-Class Electric Vehicles” (OCEVs) that exceed the power and speed ratings for “true” Class 1,2,3 e-bikes drew little support from the House Transportation Committee on February 11. The Executive Committee vote on February 18 was 14:2 in favor of killing the bill.

We feel several factors were involved starting with the amendment that was not available to the Committee until the hearing started. No one, including supporters wishing to testify, had a chance to read the amendment prior to the discussion. A critical typo in the amendment called for the recommended “Safety Certificate Program” to be “mandatory” when such is impossible – it does not exist but rather would be developed under the guidance of a Study Committee. Development cost were to use existing Federal funds and private resources, not fall to the state. Other no-cost items like categorizing devices for what they are, informational signage in shops, and eliminating the $100.00 EV surcharge on electric mopeds and motorcycles were not addressed, much less for how EUCs fit into the big picture. The main question asked was how law enforcement could issue speeding tickets “for a PEV user going too fast in the woods” – not a word about what is already seen on the roads and rail trails around the state.

The Committee Chair recommended forming an off-line ad-hoc group to address concerns. Like what have we been doing for the past year? A total re-set is underway as we try to make progress. The new anti-bike/ped policies and funding cuts from Washington will not help. Meanwhile, just be careful as the “Wild West” in the PEV world continues.