In April 2024, Chief Michael Norton of the Central Marin Police Authority publicly stated, at a meeting of the board of trustees of the Tam Union High School District, that Super73’s electric vehicles are not e-bikes under California law. Chief Norton explained that these vehicles are labeled as Class 2 “e-bikes” but fail to meet the legal requirements because their throttles allow speeds beyond 20 miles per hour. Chief Norton also noted that Super73’s vehicles make up “almost half the bikes” seen at schools by his department.
Officials in Marin County have found that Super73 vehicles’ high-speed capabilities and non-compliance with e-bike laws pose serious safety risks, especially for young riders. As a Fairfax Town Council Member put it, “I really feel like it’s a public safety crisis. . . . 70% of the e-bikes are illegal vehicles. And most of them are Super73.”
In May 2024, Chief Norton, along with other local police chiefs, issued a letter to Marin County school parents explaining that vehicles like Super73s are not legal e-bikes under the California Vehicle Code. They expressed concerns about parents being misled into purchasing these expensive vehicles, unaware that these vehicles are not legal e-bikes.
Schools and local organizations in Marin County have taken significant steps to address issues caused by Super73 vehicles. These vehicles have been banned from school campuses and from e-bike safety programs organized by groups like the Marin County Bicycle Coalition and Marin County’s Safe Routes to School program.
Police departments in Marin County have spent substantial resources addressing the problems caused by Super73 vehicles. Efforts include educating the public and issuing citations to riders, many of whom are children under 16. Schools have faced challenges enforcing bans on Super73s, as students often stash these vehicles off campus, creating further community disruptions.
Source: Class Action Complaint filed by Anapol Weiss in Plaintiff, individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated, v. Super73, Inc.. and Does 1–100 (Superior Court of the State of California, County of Marin, Case No. CV0004757).
To learn more about the class action lawsuit against Super73, go to this overview or to the press statement released when the complaint was filed on December 12, 2024.
