ST. PAUL — The Minnesota House appears likely to support legislation to classify electric motorcycles known as “e-motos” as different from bicycles and to ban their use on sidewalks.
The push for the change comes in part from what happened to Janet Stotko on a summer evening in 2024. Stotko was on a walk in Hastings when an electric motorcycle going 25 to 30 mph on the sidewalk struck her from behind.
Police body cam footage showed Stotko lying on her back on the concrete, a pool of blood forming around her head. An officer crouched over her with a handful of gauze. Another officer who was recording the scene pulled a black e-moto off the sidewalk.
The electric motorcycle’s driver was 14 years old.
Among other injuries, Stotko suffered a traumatic brain injury, including a concussion and brain bleed, as well as several facial bone fractures.
Stotko’s olfactory nerve, responsible for the sense of smell, was severed in the accident. She will never smell or taste again, she said.
Due to a lack of definition and regulations involving electric motorcycles, Stotko said she was unable to find an insurance provider that would cover the costs of her hospitalization and ongoing treatment.
“I'm sharing my story because this gap in the law has real human consequences,” she said at a House Transportation Finance and Policy Committee meeting on March 11. “I survived, and I am grateful to be alive, but survival came with permanent injuries and lifelong cost, not to mention the emotional impact this has carried.”
Rep. Tom Dippel, R-Cottage Grove, is the author of a bill that defines e-motos as electric motorcycles, establishing a clear distinction between them and electric-assisted or motorized bicycles. The distinction limits the authorized areas where e-motos can be driven, particularly in public rights-of-way, including sidewalks.
According to Dippel’s bill, electric-assisted bicycles, or e-bikes, have an output of no more than 750 watts, whereas motorized bicycles have outputs of between 750 and 1,500 watts. Anything with higher power is defined as an electric motorcycle.
“Beyond that, you're talking about a motorcycle and a motorcycle certainly doesn't belong on the sidewalk,” Dippel said. “There's already laws against that, but this isn't well-defined.”
Dippel’s bill would also modify motor vehicle dealer licenses and registration requirements as well as clearly define motorcycles, off-highway motorcycles and micromobility devices.
Electric motorcycles sold on direct-to-consumer online businesses are often incorrectly listed as “e-bikes” by the standards set in Minnesota law, according to the Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota.
Currently, legislation to classify and regulate electric motorcycles does not exist in Minnesota.
In a House Ways and Means Committee hearing on April 20, Dippel acknowledged electric motorcycles are popular, but he said the need for more regulation is clear.
“We've seen an 800% increase of their both usage and, unfortunately, accidents on them over the last couple of years, and so I think this is fitting,” Dippel said.
Several legislators identified themselves as owners of electric-assisted bicycles and commended the outdoor accessibility that two-wheel, motorized vehicles provided. They commended Dippel’s bill as well.
“By establishing better classification, it allows for local communities to better educate the public, for parents and families to better educate their children on the safety of [electric motorcycles],” Rep. Jon Koznick, R-Lakeville, said. “It really helps families and communities be safer and enjoy the outdoors.”
Report for Minnesota is a project of the University of Minnesota’s Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication to support local news across the state.
