The following is the Assembly Bill that added electric bicycles to the California Vehicle Code.


MEASURE : A.B. No. 1501
AUTHOR(S) : Bordonaro (Senator Mountjoy, coauthor).
TOPIC : Motorized bicycles: electric motor: definition.
+LAST AMENDED DATE : 08/21/95

LAST HIST. ACT. DATE: 10/13/95
LAST HIST. ACTION : Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 804,
Statutes of 1995. ["chaptered" means written into law books]

TITLE : An act to amend Sections 406 and 12804.9 of, and to add
Section 24016 to, the Vehicle Code, relating to vehicles.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 1501, Bordonaro. Motorized bicycles: electric motor: definition.

SECTION 1. Section 406 of the Vehicle Code is amended to read:
406. (a) A "motorized bicycle" or "moped" is any two-wheeled or three-wheeled device
... and is capable of propelling the device at a maximum speed of not more than 30 miles per hour on level ground.
(b) A "motorized bicycle" is also a device that has fully operative pedals for propulsion by
human power and has an electric motor that meets all of the following requirements:
(1) Has a power output of not more than 1,000 watts.
(2) Is incapable of propelling the device at a speed of more than 20 miles per hour on
ground level.
(3) Is incapable of further increasing the speed of the device when human power is used to
propel the motorized bicycle faster than 20 miles per hour.

SEC. 3. Section 24016 is added to the Vehicle Code, to read:
24016. (a) A motorized bicycle described in subdivision (b) of Section 406 shall meet the
following criteria:
(1) Comply with the equipment and manufacturing requirements for bicycles adopted by
the Consumer Product Safety Commission (16 C.F.R. 1512.1, et seq.) or the
requirements adopted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (49 C.F.R.
571.1, et seq.) in accordance with the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of
1966 (15 U.S.C. Sec. 1381, et seq.) for motor driven cycles.
(2) Operate in a manner so that the electric motor is disengaged or ceases to function
when the brakes are applied, or operate in a manner such that the motor is engaged
through a switch or mechanism that, when released, will cause the electric motor to
disengage or cease to function.
(b) All of the following apply to a motorized bicycle described in subdivision (b) of Section
406:
(1) No person shall operate a motorized bicycle unless the person is wearing a properly
fitted and fastened bicycle helmet that meets the standards described in Section 21212.
(2) A person operating a motorized bicycle is subject to Sections 21200 and 21200.5.
(3) A person operating a motorized bicycle is not subject to the provisions of this code
relating to financial responsibility, driver's licenses, registration, and license plate
requirements, and a motorized bicycle is not a motor vehicle.
(4) A motorized bicycle shall only be operated by a person 16 years of age or older.