Makes sense. There seems to be a grey around these, however. I think if you have a motor of any type (unless because of disability/wheelchair) and want to ride in on roads, you should fall under moped rules. It would be impossible for Police to verify that every e-bike operated under a certain speed or engine size.
There are 3 classes of this type of vehicle: motorcycles, LSMs (limited-speed motorcycles) and ebikes. LSMs are things like mopeds that can go over 32 KPH (but under, I think, 60 KPH). You need a license/reg for those. ebikes are under 32 KPH, only require age 16 and a helmet.
Scooter ebikes have these 500 watt motors (if they are lucky), and battery limits. They will struggle to get up a steep hill. They also have to have stickers in place and are inspected on import. So while you are right, there just aren't any "souped up" ebikes out there. The battery/motor/cost limits basically enforce that.
My pedelec ebike - i.e. the one that looks like a mountain bike (stromer.ca if you are curious) is frankly way, way more dangerous, and no one bats an eye at that. I will say that I sort of agree with not having these scooter type ones on bike paths as that is somewhat ridiculous, but at the same time you wouldn't ban someone in a motorized wheelchair from riding one...
Also i don't like that many ebike manufacturers get around the "sidewalk limit" by just using small wheels. Technically that is the
legal definition of what can ride on the sidewalk (i.e. little kids, mobility scooters) but I think everyone would agree that it would be bullshit to drive something the size of a Vespa down the sidewalk.
I've read a lot about EVs, I'm fascinated by them, but there are some teething issues.
