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If you're bamboozled by the talk of e-bikes, e-motorbikes and rules around them, you're not alone. Part of this confusion is because road rules and bike laws are set by the states, meaning there's no one national law that applies to the entire country. "Welcome to the regulatory swamp," Geoffrey Rose, Adjunct Professor in Transport Engineering at Monash University, says. He says the waters are very muddy when it comes to regulations in this space. Here's a quick wrap of what each jurisdiction says about e-bikes. What is an e-bike? An e-bike is an electric bicycle. Think of a normal bicycle with foot pedals, but with an electric component to assist with pedalling. The specific definitions differ from state to state — more on that below — which makes things a little confusing. Adding to this is the different terminology floating around out there. For example, regulations refer to a 250-watt bike that complies with a European Committee for Standardisation code — but some state websites use the spelling "pedalec", while others use the spelling "pedelec". And then there's a slightly different type of bike that also goes by different names. Victoria refers to an Electrically Power-Assisted Cycle (EPAC) on its website, while Western Australia refers to a Power Assisted Pedal Cycle (PAPC). These bikes generally have a motor with up to 200 watts. What is an electric motorbike? They're in the same class of motorbikes you see riding on the road with cars and trucks. The only difference is that, instead of being powered by a petrol motor, they're powered by electricity. "Rules for electric-powered motorcycles are the same as for internal combustion engine motorcycles," an ACT government spokesperson said. "They must be registered, the rider must be licensed, wear a helmet and obey all the relevant road rules." Because an electric motor might be smaller than its petrol counterpart, some models can be quite slim and look similar to an electric bicycle — but that doesn't make it an e-bike. "A broad range of devices are considered electric motorcycles," a Queensland government spokesperson said. This includes things like electric dirt bikes that can only be conditionally registered, as well as "illegal devices" that can't be ridden in public places. What's the difference between an e-bike and an e-motorbike? Specific definitions can get very technical but here's the difference in very basic, general terms: E-bikes: Mostly powered by people pedallingE-motorbikes: Powered by electric motors However, because they sound quite similar — and in some cases, they also look quite similar — it's easy to get the two mixed up. Are e-bikes legal in Australia? Yes, certain e-bike models are legal. But only if they meet specific definitions. Here's a breakdown of the rules depending on which jurisdiction you're in: Why is it so confusing? Part of this is because there isn't one standard definition of an e-bike in state laws. To understand why that is, we need a bit of a history lesson in modes of transport. "Some time ago, we had our own regulations for a power-assisted bicycle (PAB)," Professor Rose says. "The idea was to define a vehicle which has motor assistance but in terms of the road rules would be regarded as a 'bicycle' and therefore not needing to be registered or insured or for the rider to have a license. "In those old days, there were internal combustion engines which could be fitted to bikes to turn them into a power-assisted bike. "To be regarded as a PAB, the old rules said that the motor had to be less than 200 watts. "Those PABs were allowed to be throttle-controlled and the motor could not enable them to travel above 25 kph (from memory)." But this definition didn't match up with what the global e-bike marketplace was offering. "A number of years ago there was an epiphany that having a regulation which was different from just about everywhere else in the world meant we saw very, very few PABs in the marketplace here and very little update," Professor Rose said. "The idea emerged to adopt the European Standard for an EPAC — electrically power-assisted bicycle. "Because there were still PABs about, both definitions were retained (PAB and EPAC) and it was OK so long as a bike met one or other set of the criteria. "Part of the confusion today is because of that grandfathered provision to retain reference in parts to PAB. "That adoption of the European standard meant that there was a broader range of models which could be imported and, as anticipated, that meant that adoption of e-bikes grew." Check before you buy Just because some bikes are legal, doesn't mean every e-bike for sale meets state requirements. Here's a warning from the Western Australian government that speaks to that: "Not all electric bicycles sold in WA are legal to ride on WA roads and paths,."Always check before you buy." Can you ride an electric bike on the road? E-bikes can be legally ridden on the road like a normal bike — but only if those bikes meet the definitions we mentioned above. Riders have to follow the same road rules as cyclists. Can you ride an e-bike on a footpath? If your e-bike meets the requirements above, it's essentially treated like a regular bicycle. So, to find out if you can ride an e-bike on footpaths, you have to look at the rules for bicycles. Most allow all riders of all ages to cycle on footpaths. But Victoria and New South Wales have age limits. In Victoria, only children aged 12 and younger can ride on the footpath, without exception. That changes to children under 16 if you're in New South Wales. Tap the boxes below to see what each state and territory says about cyclists on footpaths. Do you need a licence for an e-bike? If you have an e-bike that meets your jurisdiction's definition of a legal e-bike, you do not need a licence to ride it. Do you have to register an e-bike? If you're riding an e-bike that meets your jurisdiction's definition of a legal e-bike, it does not need to be registered. What are the speed limits for e-bikes? That's not clear. Here's a summary of what each state and territory says about e-bike speed limits online
