Ah, got it. Geezer mobiles.
One difference between a bike and one of these is that a bike doesn't have to take up the whole lane. You can ride a bike in a wide outer lane without cars having to completely change lanes to pass you.
Not that I'm for this legislation, either. Everything has to be about making it easier for cars to go as fast as possible, doesn't it? The 35mph street restriction seems particularly low.
It sounds like me they're trying to nip a non-existent problem in the bud before it becomes widely adopted. Because otherwise, you know, people might start actually using these electric vehicles for neighborhood errands, and wouldn't it be a shame if the oil interests lost that revenue.