Dictionary

e-bike en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈiː.baɪk/

Etymology

From e- + bike.

Meanings

1. (informal) A bicycle assisted by, or powered by, an electric motor.
   • With a flick of his pen, outgoing Gov. Phil Murphy signed a bill Monday that makes New Jersey one of the most restrictive states for e-bikes, much to the dismay of cycling enthusiasts within and beyond the Garden State’s borders. Under the new regulations, all e-bikes must be registered and insured, whether they are low-speed e-bikes, which require pedaling and cannot exceed 20 mph, or high-speed bikes, called motorized bicycles or e-motos, that can go up to 28 mph. Riders will need to be at least 15 years old and they will need a motorized bicycle license to ride. People 17 and older can ride an e-bike using a driver’s license. The New Jersey law treats all e-bikes as the same, whereas most other states that regulate e-bikes tend to focus on e-motos when it comes to license and insurance requirements. The slower pedal-assist bikes face a patchwork of regulations across the country, with some restrictions on where they can go. By requiring insurance for the pedal-assist bikes people use for exercise and commuting, New Jersey now has some of the toughest regulations in the country for e-bikes, and cycling enthusiasts across the country fear their states might follow suit. The new regulations mark a dramatic shift in how New Jersey sees e-bikes. It was only in 2019 that state leaders, including Murphy, touted them as an alternative to cars with the potential to cut emissions and congestion in the state, allowing them to operate on streets, highways, and bicycle paths. Introduced in the legislature in November, the bill with e-bike restrictions traveled quickly across both chambers as lawmakers felt moved to action by fatalities in the state, including that of a Scotch Plains 13-year-old boy who collided with a landscaping truck while riding his e-bike in September and died. […] This is a point that even the most ardent critics of the new law have long agreed with. It had been six years since the last update to e-bike laws, and they agree that reckless riders abound. […] What’s in an e-bike name? When discussing e-bikes and their differences, the jargon of Class 1, Class 2, and Class 3 can be confusing. But while New Jersey now treats all e-bikes as essentially the same, cycling enthusiasts and other states still use these classifications, so here’s a breakdown. Class 1: These are exclusively pedal-assist bikes. They’re slow speed and have a motor that provides assistance only when someone is pedaling and caps out at 20 mph. Class 2: Still considered low speed but the rider can get an assist and activate the motor by pedaling or using the throttle without needing to pedal. Assistance is still capped at 20 mph. This is the class of e-bikes that cycling advocates are the most open to having additional regulations imposed because they can be driven with no pedaling involved. Class 3: These are the fastest legal e-bikes, reaching a top speed of 28 mph and have a speedometer. These are also the most widely regulated of the bikes because they have more in common with a motorcycle than a traditional bike. 2026 January 21, Ximena Conde, “How N.J. ended up having some of the most restrictive e-bike regulations in the country. And why advocates say the fight isn’t over”, in The Philadelphia Inquirer, archived from the original on 13 Feb 2026:
   • I've been working on Ebike for 2 years. Read about several attempts around world and US. First patent in 1895. Mine weighs 85 lbs and does help uphill. Working on testing. I decided to build only because I wanted a "poor person's" ZEV. Weight will go down with technology over time. No hurry. Lots of stuff to do, learn. No EV is commercially viable in US except trike in Florida. Happy to talk with those interested. 1994 September 1, Cycle0path, “Re: Electric Bicycle (again)”, in rec.bicycles.misc (Usenet), retrieved 19 Mar 2019, message-ID <343obu$l3t@search01.news.aol.com>:
   • E-bike info? Anyone have any info on an electric add-on motor for bikes built by a company called "ZAP" ? 1996 November 11, dhammel, “E-bike info?”, in rec.bicycles.misc (Usenet), retrieved 19 Mar 2019, message-ID <19961111183300.NAA04270@ladder01.news.aol.com>:
   • Another important difference: e-bikes can legally travel in the bike lane; scooters and mopeds cannot. 2010, David L. Kurtz, Contemporary Marketing 2011, page 377:
   • ELECTRIC BIKES ("E-BIKES") Because e-bike speeds and power are more similar to human-powered bicycles than to motorcycles, I believe their users will need bicycle-style traffic-skills education (Effective Electric Cycling?). I also believe e-bikes, with strict power or acceleration limits, should be allowed to use bike lanes -- think about it. 1993 November 13, John Ciccarelli, “Motorcycles, bicycles, "e-bikes"”, in rec.bicycles.soc (Usenet), retrieved 19 Mar 2019, message-ID <2c1n2d$j6o@agate.berkeley.edu>:
   • There seems to be a lot of interest emerging about "E-Bikes." I'm not sure of the appropriate place to discuss them. I've seen things on the EV mailing list, and on several .bicycles. groups. Perhaps there is some interest on the hpv mailing list as well--I have't subscribed for a while. Is it worth starting a mailing list or newsgroup for them? 1993 November 13, Charlie Sullivan, “Re: Motorcycles, bicycles, "e-bikes"”, in rec.bicycles.soc (Usenet), retrieved 19 Mar 2019, message-ID <2c1n2d$j6o@agate.berkeley.edu>:
   • The e-bikes glide past slow, one of the kids turning his bike around. He's tall, with his black hair slicked back with grease, shining in the glow of the other bikes' lights. In the sockets of his eyes she can see only mirrors. Artificial Sonys. The kid's ironed. 1993 January 31, Ridley McIntyre, “STORY: GHOSTDANCER (2)”, in rec.games.frp.misc (Usenet), retrieved 19 Mar 2019, message-ID <0!w3=jd@rpi.edu>:
   • London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan said: "The safety of Londoners is my top priority, and while most e-bikes are safe, there have been a small number of incidents where non-foldable e-bikes have caught fire on the transport system. 2025 April 2, “Network News: Fire risk: TfL extends e-bike ban”, in RAIL, number 1032, page 11:
   • My bet is that, in cities at least, the e-car won’t be the vehicle of the future. I suspect it will keep falling further behind e-bikes, e-mopeds and e-scooters. 2024 January 18, Simon Kuper, “Electric cars are not the future”, in Financial Times, archived from the original on 18 Jan 2024:
   • The e-bikes in question have throttles, causing them to go much faster, up to 20 mph, than a basic pedal-assist e-bike or traditional bicycle. 2025 December 11, Michelle Bandur, “Rocklin schools put the brakes on class 2 e-bikes due to more crashes, safety concerns”, in KCRA, archived from the original on 12 Dec 2025:

Forms

Coordinates

motorcycle · motorbike · e-moto · e-motorcycle · e-motorbike

Deriveds

e-biker

Hypernyms

vehicle · bicycle · bike

Synonyms

e-cycle · electric bike · e-bicycle

Translations (21)

nl e-bike (bicycle powered by an electric motor) · uk пауербайк (bicycle powered by an electric motor) · sv elcykel (bicycle powered by an electric motor) · fi sähköpolkupyörä (bicycle powered by an electric motor) · pl e-rower (bicycle powered by an electric motor) · fi sähköpyörä (bicycle powered by an electric motor) · cmn 電瓶車 /电瓶车 (bicycle powered by an electric motor) · cmn 電動自行車 /电动自行车 (bicycle powered by an electric motor) · fr vélo à assistance électrique (bicycle powered by an electric motor) · yue 電雞 /电鸡 (bicycle powered by an electric motor) · ja 電動アシスト自転車 (bicycle powered by an electric motor) · fr vélo électrique (bicycle powered by an electric motor) · de Elektrofahrrad (bicycle powered by an electric motor) · cs elektrokolo (bicycle powered by an electric motor) · ko 전동 어시스트 자전거 (bicycle powered by an electric motor) · pl rower elektryczny (bicycle powered by an electric motor) · ru электровелосипе́д (bicycle powered by an electric motor) · de E-Bike (bicycle powered by an electric motor) · pt bicicleta elétrica (bicycle powered by an electric motor) · nl elektrische fiets (bicycle powered by an electric motor) · uk електровелосипед (bicycle powered by an electric motor)