This is an issue which I raised more than a decade back in this blog post. Since their first days on our roads, electric bikes and motorbikes were being sold like mere toys 🧸 which could be driven by anyone. Very often seen in the hands of kids or irresponsible people, these electric vehicles were dangerously getting more and more powerful while being affordable for anyone needing a means of transport, without requiring any skill, age maturity, security consideration, compliance to drive on roads or a vehicle insurance in case of accidents. 💥
Thankfully 🙏 , the authorities have finally decided to take the matter seriously. New electric motorcycles need to be registered upon purchase from a showroom, just like any other vehicle 🚗 🚛 while the deadline for existing vehicles already on the road has just been postponed to the 3rd May 2021, instead of this 31st March 2021 because of the Covid19 🦠 lockdown.
Let’s go deeper into the topic now…
⚡️ Electric bikes, scooters, motorbikes 🏍
As per the changes made to the Road Traffic Act, the electric two-wheelers (sometimes with 3 wheels too) we commonly call “Scooters électriques” or “motocyclette électriques” will need to have
- A vehicle number plate
- A fitness certificate and road tax, implying that they will have a horsepower (registration book)
- An insurance cover
These means of transportation have been fitted into the following existing categories
| Type | Existing fuel powered engine | New electric engines |
| Motor vehicle type A | More than 300cc | More than 35KW |
| Motor vehicle type A1 | 50 -> 125cc | 4KW -> 11 KW |
| Motor vehicle type A2 | 125cc -> 300cc | 11KW -> 35Kw |
| Motor vehicle type AM | Autocycle (less than 50cc) | |
It is still unclear for me regarding these electric auto/motorbikes which might be rated less than 4KW. Additionally, a communiqué 📝 from the National Land Transport Authority also mentions that electric bikes, rated below 250W only need registration with the police. I wonder what is the difference between an electric bike and an electric autocycle rated 3KW for example.
Henceforth, all these electric vehicles (except the low rated bikes) will need to be registered, insured and compliant to our roads.
Electric riders
People who want to ride an electric motorcycle will need to
- Have a valid autocycle learner / motorcycle license ✅
- A helmet 🪖
- Fluorescent jacket 🧥
This means that the police will enforce existing laws to make sure than people riding electric bikes/scooters 🛵 have
- The minimum required age.
If I’m not mistaken, it is 16 years old for autocycle (less than 50cc or less than 4KW) and 18 years for a motorcycle (more than 50c or more than 4KW). This also means that people riding these will need to pass the oral test for road traffic signs / regulations etc - Visible with their fluorescent jacket, especially at night.
- Protected, at least by a helmet
No more 10 year old kids riding these toys. Hopefully, we won’t find 3 to 5 people riding at the same time.
For safer roads
It was really high time to regulate these electric bikes/scooters as nowadays, they are now packed with as much power as petrol motor engines, reaching over 70km/hr for various models. Previously in case of accidents involving these electric bikes/motorcycles, it was a real headache as they were not properly recognized in our laws, hence, a real pain for your pocket.
Hope the police 👮♀️ enforce these changes and people abide to them.
Yashvinblogs 
I found that they were dangerous because they were silent and I could not hear them coming around a blind corner.
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True. Even electric ( and hybrid) cars are silent. I don’t know about others, but some Honda models have a speaker which makes a noise, just as a warning when it is driving without the noisy petrol engine.
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Hi Yashvin. Thanks for this article. I would like to buy a 3000w electric motorcycle. Do you know if these laws are already applicable?
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Hi Jude
I have just been on the NTLA web site and the last communique on the topic says the same as above article, Registration starts as from 3rd May : https://nlta.govmu.org/Pages/viewallcommunique.aspx
And same communiqué says that all new electric scooters/moto will be registered directly by the showroom/shop selling it, just like other vehicles.
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agree.
But y do you need a fluoresence jacket ? Dude , these bikes dont have lights on them.
Aren’t they enough for you to see those light ? do you believe a rider at night without a fluorenscent jacket means a ghost riding at night that scares you . Thats a crazy law. life was so gr8 to freely ride those scooters a time , without registration , without helmet, without any fees. the cops should not behave like robots but emphasize on kids, drunkards, teenagers riding them. they are riskier. But these cops are prorgammed like robot, even a poor man trying to earn his life, they just give fine for stupid things.
i can only insist on the helmet , yes for your safely do wear it . but for the other things like registration, insurance, declaration etc .. these are money that they take from us and make salary for those barbaric illmannered mauritian cops , the govt guys.
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Hello, is there any law’s in regards to power assist bicycles ?
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Hello
I believe that power-assist bicycles will be classified same as electric scooters, depending on the power watts of the electric engine. If under the specified low rated values mentioned in the post, they just need to be registered with the police.
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