New York City Orders 40 E-Commerce Platforms to Halt Sales of Non-Compliant High-Speed E-Bikes by Month's End

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has demanded that 40 e-commerce platforms—including Amazon, Walmart, Target, and Temu—cease selling non-compliant electric bicycles and scooters to New York City residents by August 31, or face fines of up to $2,000 per violation. Under current NYC regulations, only Class 3 e-bikes with a maximum speed of 25 mph (approximately 40 km/h) are legally permitted on public roads. Additionally, U.S. federal regulations stipulate that consumer-grade e-bikes must have motors with a continuous power output not exceeding 750 watts. However, some products currently on the market feature motors rated at several kilowatts, can exceed speeds of 30 mph (about 51 km/h), and lack vehicle identification numbers, making them ineligible for registration as mopeds. In response, Amazon stated that it requires all e-bikes sold on its platform to comply with applicable safety standards and its own policies, and expressed willingness to collaborate with New York City to address these concerns.