Micromobility regulation continues to tighten in New York City, and now Mayor Zohran Mamdani is taking aim at the online retailers that have become a major source of high-speed electric bikes and scooters.
The mayor’s office has sent cease-and-desist letters to 40 online retailers, including Amazon, Walmart, Target, Temu, Wayfair and others, demanding that they stop selling electric bikes, electric scooters and similar vehicles that don’t comply with New York City’s laws.
According to the city, retailers have until later this month to stop selling the prohibited vehicles to New York City residents or potentially face fines of up to $2,000.
The move is part of the city’s ongoing effort to crack down on e-bikes that fall outside of NYC’s definition of electric bicycles. New York declared stricter limits on electric bicycles and e-scooters than most of the nation. For example, while Class 3 electric bicycles that can reach up to 28 mph (45 km/h) are legal almost everywhere in the US, they exceed the slightly lower 25 mph (40 km/h) speed limit for electric bicycles in New York, and are thus considered illegal there when exceeding that 25 mph figure.
In addition, Mamdani declared a goal of cracking down on even faster e-motos, which exceed normal electric bicycle classifications and fall in off-road electric motorbike territory.
