CALIFORNIA — Assembly Bill 1557, introduced Jan. 8, 2026, seeks to clarify the legal definition of electric bicycles in California while limiting high-powered e-bikes.
The measure, authored by Assembly Member Diane Papan (D-San Mateo), would clarify that an electric bicycle must be equipped with fully operable pedals and an electric motor that cannot exceed 750 watts of peak power.
“We think we are really going to enhance safety with it. We don’t want to ban it altogether. We just want to make it where the bikes are safer,” Papan said.
E-bike injuries in California have surged, rising from 751 cases in 2017 to more than 23,493 in 2022, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The change would help distinguish between traditional bicycles, electric bicycles, and other motorized vehicles for regulatory and safety purposes.
E-bikes exceeding the 750-watt limit would be reclassified as motor-driven cycles, barring them from bike paths and requiring riders to hold a motorcycle license.
The bill also states that vehicles may not be advertised, sold, or labeled as e-bikes if they are designed or modified to exceed 20 mph or if their operable pedals have been removed.
Bill proceeds through committee hearings
AB 1557 was read for the first time in the Assembly on Jan. 8 and referred for printing as the initial step in the legislative process. It will now proceed through committee hearings and potential amendments before further consideration by the Legislature.
If passed by both houses of the Legislature, the bill would then be forwarded to the governor for approval or veto before becoming law.
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