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Manufacturers are taking a variety of steps to reassure consumers that their products are safe. We’ve seen how most manufacturers have sought certification from Underwriter Laboratories (2849 and/or 2271) or the European standard EN15194. Some manufacturers have begun to take additional steps and a technology that is starting to catch on is the practice of encasing the cells that make up a battery with a heat-absorbing resin. These batteries are called “potted.”

When a battery is potted, the cells are assembled in the configuration within the battery housing. The collection of cells is then placed in a mold and the resin, in a hot, liquified form, is poured between the cells. When the resin cools, it hardens, insulating the cells.

The resin insulates the cells in multiple ways. First, the resin can absorb and dissipate heat, so if one cell begins to overheat, the resin can prevent it from becoming hot enough to reach thermal runaway—the point at which a cell is hot enough that a chemical reaction within the cell becomes self-sustaining. The resin also insulates the cells from contamination and corrosion. The salt air of coastal regions can cause corrosion. And should water, whether salt or fresh, penetrate the battery casing, it won’t be able to reach the cells. Finally, potting a battery provides a degree of impact protection in case someone falls, drops the battery or it is struck by something.

We’ve already seen Rad Power Bikes introduce their new Safe Shield batteries. We expect that as they continue to release new versions of their existing models they will update them with their Safe Shield batteries.

Pedego recently announced three new models which will be spec’d with potted batteries.

Other companies not as well known, including Luna Cycles and Grin Technologies were early adopters of potting.

California passed a law, AB 361, allows cities to equip city vehicles with cameras to ticket bike lane violations. Parking enforcement vehicles can be equipped with a camera that will scan the road. That video is then fed into a mapping AI from Hayden AI that can then judge the position of parked vehicles and establish which are in violation.

The software is based on the same code behind the system that tickets bus lane violations.

Hayden AI’s chief growth officer, Charles Territo, said, “As long as we can see it, we can map it. And as long as we can map it, we can enforce it.”

Remarkably, catching bike lane violators isn’t just one part of a larger law. The whole of AB 361 was devoted to dealing with the issue of blocked bike lanes.

State Assembly member Chris Ward, of San Diego, frames the issue as one of cities being unable to reap the benefit of investing millions of dollars in cycling infrastructure if people are unable to use the bike lanes.

“How frustrating for cities when residents can’t use what’s been built because of blockage,” he said.

So far, three cities—San Francisco, San Jose and Santa Monica—have begun enforcement. Ward said that officials from the cities of Berkley, Oakland and Sacramento have told him they are considering enforcement. He has encouraged city council members in his home of San Diego, where he served as a city council member from 2016-2020, to begin enforcement.

Some cities have reported that personnel have been harrassed when writing paper tickets and the new law will eliminate the potential for conflict.

The bill includes a vast collection of product categories. It covers household appliances, smart and cell phones, plus IT equipment. A number of exemptions have been carved out: vessels, aviation and medical devices, not including powered wheelchairs.

Whether the bill would cover e-bikes is uncertain as of yet. According to Matt Moore, policy counsel for People for Bikes, said the bill may not cover e-bikes.

“While electric bicycles are generally not regarded as motor vehicles for purpose of their operation on public streets,” Moore wrote in an email to BRAIN, “the broad definition of ‘motor vehicle’ in the Colorado bill defines a motor vehicle as ‘a vehicle that is designed to transport individuals or property on a street or highway’ if it is ‘certified by a motor vehicle manufacturer under all applicable safety and emission standards’ and ‘all requirements for the distribution and sale of motor vehicles in the United States.’

“It is our position that low-speed electric bicycles and bicycles with electronic components that are required to be certified for compliance with all applicable federal standards in 16 CFR 1512 meet this definition. Certain other e-mobility devices that have no applicable regulatory standards would likely be subject to the bill’s requirements.”

However, Nathan Proctor, senior director of the U.S. Public Interest Research Groups Campaign for the Right to Repair, disagreed with Moore and said it would cover e-bikes.

Utah’s new regulations became law on May 1. It is the first law to address the increasing proliferation of e-bikes with unrestricted top speeds. E-bikes that can exceed a maximum-assist speed of 28 mph are classified as Out-of-Class EVs (OCEV).

Some reporting on the new law has suggested that it groups Class 2 e-bikes with a maximum pedal-assist and throttle speed of 20 mph in with OCEVs. That’s not the case. Class 2 e-bikes that cease their assistance at 20 mph, whether pedaling or with a throttle are still considered Class 2 in Utah’s law.

The new law does cause some confusion, though. In 41-6a-102 (18)(a)(i) it defines an “electric assisted bicycle” as having a power output of “not more than 750W,” which is in-line with the three class system. However, in section (18)(b)(v)(B) it saysis says the definition of an “electric assisted bicycle” does not include “continuous rated motor power of 750W or greater.” This could potentially capture every e-bike we’ve reviewed with a 750W motor. From the Aventon Aventure to most of Rad Power Bikes’s lineup, their nominal rating of 750W makes them not e-bikes according to Utah’s new law. The law also does not distinguish between max wattage and nominal wattage, which is something you also see in People for Bikes model legislation – and it’s a detail we believe needs to be clarified by both organizations.

Just who can ride an e-bike receives some restrictions. E-bike riders must be at least 14 years old to ride legally on roads, sidewalks, etc. Kids under the age of 14 can ride in public so long as their parent is present and supervising them. Anyone under the age of eight is not permitted to ride an e-bike in public, period.

To ride a Class 3 e-bike legally, the rider must be at least 16.

The law also defines both moped and motor-assisted scooter as not just different from an e-bike, but different from each other. A moped will not produce more than 2 hp (generally considered to be 1500W nominally), and cannot propel a rider to more than 30 mph. A motor-assisted scooter has a motor of not more than 2000W and a design that permits the scooter to be “propelled by human power alone.” A motor-assisted scooter will have a maximum speed of 20 mph on a level surface.

The law includes some new requirements for brands and/or e-bike dealers based in Utah.

E-bikes sold in Utah or sold to people living in Utah (as in the case of direct-to-consumer sales) must carry a sticker denoting each of the classes that the e-bike can be set to perform. That’s not a big deal, but one wonders whether the D2C brands will respect this.

The most significant aspect of the law regards how it defines what is not an e-bike. Not only is any e-bike that can be throttled to speeds faster than 20 mph not an e-bike, but anything that can be pedaled at speeds above 28 mph not an e-bike.

The law includes a requirement that all not-e-bikes as defined by the law carry a sticker making this fact clear. It is to read:

“THIS VEHICLE IS NOT AN “ELECTRIC ASSISTED BICYCLE” AS DEFINED BY UTAH MOTOR VEHICLE CODE AND IS INSTEAD A TYPE OF MOTOR VEHICLE AND SUBJECT TO APPLICABLE MOTOR VEHICLE LAWS IF USED ON PUBLIC ROADS OR PUBLIC LANDS. YOUR INSURANCE POLICIES MAY NOT PROVIDE COVERAGE FOR ACCIDENTS INVOLVING THE USE OF THIS VEHICLE. TO DETERMINE IF COVERAGE IS PROVIDED YOU SHOULD CONTACT YOUR INSURANCE COMPANY OR AGENT.”

The above paragraph gives insurance companies an opportunity to wash their hands of claims involving e-mopeds.

The law’s definition of a motorcycle isn’t terribly specific. According to the law, a motorcycle isn’t a tractor and it doesn’t have more than three wheels. What that means is that everything that isn’t an e-bike, moped, motor assisted scooter or motor-driven cycle is a motorcycle. It’s a process of elimination.

What this means is that anything with two wheels and an electric motor that produces more than 1500W nominally (admittedly not many machines fit that definition, and that’s providing that we accept 1500W being equivalent to 2 hp) is, as a matter of deduction, a motorcycle. This means that police could potentially ticket someone on one of what we call e-mopeds and require them to register it as a motorcycle, which requires a license and insurance as well.

The most surprising aspect of the law comes right at the end. It says, “A person’s actions to knowingly advertise, offer for sale, or sell a vehicle that is not an electric assisted bicycle as an electric bicycle, electric assisted bicycle, electric bike, or e-bike without making the disclosure described in Subsection (8)(d) constitutes prima facie evidence of a deceptive trade practice under Section 13-11a-3.”

According to the law, this violation constitutes an infraction, which suggests a ticket and a fine, not criminal court. But if a brand or retailer is found in violation of this section, it would seem to trigger the opportunity for prosecution for a deceptive trade practice.

VinFast has been operating at a loss. As of Q4 2023, Vingroup had invested $11.4 billion in the EV maker. VinFast, which is traded on Nasdaq, has lost 75 percent of its share value since it’s offering in August 2023, when it began trading at $10; in the months since, the share price has dropped to $2.50.

The company has failed to meet sales targets, which has led to the losses. VinFast sold some 35,000 cars in 2023; of those, 70 percent went to taxi company GSM, which is owned by Vuong. Another 10 percent of the EVs VinFast sold went to units within Vingroup.

Bruton has built a variety of impressive devices, such as self-balancing robots, but an e-bike with four mecanum wheels was a challenge even for him.