Raise max e-scooter battery power to 1200 W, standardize urban speed to 30 km/h, and modernize licensing

**Executive summary** This petition asks policymakers to: (1) increase the allowable e-scooter motor/battery rating to 1,200 W, (2) standardize 30 km/h as the default speed limit inside cities where appropriate, and (3) liberalize licensing requirements by removing mandatory motor-vehicle licenses for e-scooters while offering a free online road and scooter safety certificate to improve rider knowledge and public trust. The proposal balances mobility, safety, and practicality. **Background and motivation** Micromobility such as private e-scooters and light electric bicycles has become a common, low-cost, low-emission way to travel short distances. Current regulations in many jurisdictions are inconsistent: common legal ceilings (often about 600 W and 25 km/h) conflict with urban speed zoning, vehicle capability, and rider behavior. Where cities adopt 30 km/h as the safe default, a 25 km/h cap creates a mismatch that can force slower vehicles into mixed traffic patterns and cause bottlenecks, incentivize covert modifications, and leave riders on underpowered vehicles that cannot safely accelerate or keep up in certain conditions. Problem statement 25 km/h caps and 30 km/h city zoning clash. Many cities are adopting 30 km/h because it reduces crash severity and fatalities. A cap at 25 km/h while road design and traffic flow assume 30 km/h leads to frequent speed differentials that increase awkward overtakes, lane changes, and congestion at pinch points. Low battery and power limits are a weak deterrent to higher speeds. Motivated users often modify scooters (hardware or controller parameters) to increase speed. This undermines the protective intent of a 600 W or 25 km/h cap: a limit that is easy to circumvent encourages unregulated modification rather than safe, legal alternatives. Safety is about systems, not an arbitrary watt number. Poorly powered scooters can be unstable on slopes, fail to accelerate safely at junctions, or cause riders to attempt risky maneuvers. Conversely, better-spec machines can incorporate improved brakes, suspension, and thermal safety systems if regulations allow manufacturers to design for higher power and higher build quality. **Evidence** Adopting 30 km/h urban limits is associated with substantial reductions in crashes, injuries, and fatalities in multiple cities. Studies and expert reviews indicate that lower urban speed limits reduce crash severity and, in many contexts, improve overall safety. Analyses also show that the claim that 30 km/h causes more congestion is often unsupported; lower speeds can reduce stop-and-go traffic and improve flow consistency on specific urban networks. Many jurisdictions currently set regulatory ceilings around 600 W and 25 km/h for unregulated e-scooters, creating the mismatch addressed by this proposal. Observational analyses suggest that restricting top speed and other operational rules influence e-scooter injury incidence. Policies should therefore be evidence-based and balanced. **Proposed policy** A. Technical and vehicle standard changes. Raise the legal maximum continuous motor and battery power rating for consumer and rental e-scooters from roughly 600 W to 1,200 W. This permits better-engineered machines with stronger motors, higher-quality controllers, and improved battery management and thermal protection, reducing the incentive for covert modifications and enabling predictable performance for streets standardized at 30 km/h. Maintain a regulated maximum speed of 30 km/h in urban streets where that limit applies. Municipalities may designate lower limits for pedestrianized areas. B. Speed standardization. Encourage municipalities to adopt 30 km/h as the default urban street speed except where specific conditions warrant lower limits, so road design, signage, and vehicle performance expectations align. C. Licensing and education. Decriminalize the requirement for a full motor-vehicle driving license to operate legally permitted e-scooters within the new specifications. Introduce a free, short, online micromobility safety certificate that is optional but encouraged. The certificate should be printable and QR-verifiable and cover basic traffic rules, right-of-way, safe overtaking, helmet fitting, and simple vehicle checks. The program can be integrated into school curricula or offered through municipal portals. D. Device certification and technical safety. Require e-scooters above a modest watt threshold to meet mandatory technical safety standards for brake performance, lights and reflectors, robust battery management systems, thermal runaway protection, and locked firmware for public roads. Require clear labeling of maximum continuous power, tested speed, and a certification stamp. How this policy solves the problems Aligns vehicle capability with urban design. If city streets are designed for 30 km/h, scooters legally limited to 30 km/h do not become permanent obstacles and do not incentivize illegal modification. Removes incentives for unsafe modification. Allowing higher legal power while regulating vehicle safety and speed reduces the need for black-market modifications because riders can buy factory-built, certified scooters that perform without unsafe DIY hacks. Preserves and improves safety. A 30 km/h standard reduces collision severity. The proposed safety certificate and technical standards increase the overall safety envelope. Education combined with engineering and enforcement is more effective than education alone. **Anticipated objections and responses** Objection 1: Raising wattage will make scooters faster and more dangerous. Response: The policy caps road speed at 30 km/h, so higher motor and battery ratings are used for safe acceleration, hill-climb ability, and thermal overhead to avoid overtaxing components. Higher-rated scooters must meet mandatory technical standards, decreasing the chance of component failure. Objection 2: This will increase reckless riding and injuries. Response: Evidence shows that speed control and safer street speeds reduce injury severity. Coupling a 30 km/h city standard with certified, better-built scooters and an accessible safety certificate addresses behavior and vehicle-related risks together. Enforcement and public education remain important complements. Objection 3: Education alone does not reduce crashes. Response: Standalone education has mixed effects, but when integrated with safer design, infrastructure, and enforceable technical standards it forms part of an effective safety system. The proposed certificate is low-barrier and intended to increase rider competence and public confidence, not to be the sole countermeasure. Implementation steps 1. Legislative amendment to change the vehicle class definition to allow up to 1,200 W continuous rated motor power for devices meeting micromobility safety standards, and set 30 km/h as the standard urban cap with local discretion to lower it. 2. Draft technical safety standards defining minimum braking, lights and reflectors, battery management systems, and controller safety requirements for the new class. 3. Set up a certification mechanism accepting recognized lab reports or CE markings for commercial models. 4. Develop and pilot the free online safety certificate in schools and municipal web portals. 5. Combine signage, spot checks for compliance, and a 12 to 18 month evaluation window to collect injury, usage, and traffic flow data and adjust rules where necessary. Evaluation and metrics Collect and publish pre and post metrics for pilot cities including: e-scooter related injuries and hospitalizations per vehicle kilometer, incidence of illegal scooter modifications reported by enforcement, average travel times on representative routes to check congestion claims, uptake of the safety certificate and self-reported compliance, and public satisfaction and acceptance surveys. Draft petition text We, the undersigned, ask our municipal and national legislators to modernize micromobility laws by: raising the maximum allowable continuous motor and battery rating for certified e-scooters to 1,200 W, standardizing a 30 km/h maximum speed on urban streets with lower limits permitted in pedestrian areas, and replacing mandatory motor-vehicle licenses for e-scooter riders with a free and brief online safety certificate plus mandatory technical safety standards for manufacturers. This balanced approach will reduce unsafe covert modifications, better align vehicle performance with street design, improve rider competence, and protect public safety while enabling clean, efficient mobility for all. Closing and call to action This proposal is practical, safety-centred, and citizen-friendly. It removes incentives to illegally modify vehicles, aligns equipment with the realities of city traffic design, and invests in low-cost educational measures that increase trust and competence. If desired, the following follow-ups can be prepared: a one-page petition flyer and signature form, a short policy brief tailored to a specific country or city including local regulatory texts, or a model municipal ordinance.