I think this is an important…

I think this is an important piece of legislation that is needed as e-bikes become more prevalent these days. They are a great potential car-replacement form of transport that is desperately needed in Ontario. Maybe even more so in this time of a pandemic where public transport is perceived as risky.

My only concern with the proposal is that e-bike motors are being limited to 500W for the pedal-assist category. Since the top speed is already governed by this legislation, I question whether the limitation on the motor wattage is required.

I have converted a fat bike to a pedal-assisted eBike which is limited to 30 kmh that I use as a daily commuter as well as a recreational bike. In order to get a motor kit that would fit the width of my bottom bracket, I was only able to order a 1000W motor. I did not have the option of a 500W motor for my bike. If I'm still maintaining the speed limit, why does it matter what size motor that I have? Even though I would be staying within the speed limits of this legislation, I would not be able to adhere to the motor wattage limit, unfortunately.

I would recommend removing the motor-size limitation all together. Why have this additional limitation in addition to the speed limit? It would be the equivalent to limiting the size of engines in a car as well as providing a speed limit on a roadway. We only attach speed limits to our roadways. We do not say that you cannot have an engine larger than 3 litres in size, for example. Let's be consistent for e-Bikes as well and only limit the speeds.

Thanks!