ebike insurance

Check your insurance company. Saw an article in the paper where Flo's company (Progressive) assisted the defendant in a lawsuit where the plaintiff was one of their clients. Evidently there were damages exceeding the defendant's coverage that Progressive didn't want to pay.
 
The longer you wait to recieve medical attention the more difficult it will be to win your suit, especially if you end up having no permanent injuries. Glad you're still with us. Many attorneys don't like these types of cases so you may have to represent yourself.
 
This subject regarding Liability Insurance for eBikes eludes me....I've checked with my homeowners legal department and 2 different motorcycle insurer's(doing something like a moped policy). None of them are willing to write a policy for a kit eBike(even though it does less than 20 mph) for use here in South Florida. Not sure what to do....considering selling my eBike and going with a manufactured bike(Yuk :roll: ) or looking for a different homeowners insurance company that can properly cover me.(Changing homeowners insurance companies is something I don't want to do).

Not sure which direction to go in....any one been able to coverage for a kit bike in the America??

~Rasputin~
 
I would make sure I was covered by health insurance. In any accident the cyclist is much more likely to be injured. In an accident the individual is the most important element.
 
Thanks to a helpful push from the state of Maryland, I found myself in need of ebike liability insurance -- and quickly found out how difficult it can be to obtain at all, much less at a reasonable price.

Leaving aside all of the arguments pro and con, I seem to have found a good source. Progressive will not write this insurance via their online or central call center channels, but if you use their site to search for an agent -- and choose the specialty agent for mopeds -- you find this agent:

Allen Lescure
Insgroup/Elton Porter
(800) 759-2628, ext 219

I don't know the guy personally, but he was very accomodating and I've now got a Progressive policy in force at a very reasonable price. Feel free to tell him I sent you. (I've already shared his info with another ES member who says he's planning to sign up as well -- and that Allen told him mine was the first ebike that Progressive insured. Go figure.)

Charlie
Baccheta Giro 26 / Bionx PL350
 
About how much is it to insure and what is the coverage? Is there any chance to get a replacement after it gets stolen?
 
arkmundi said:
I hate it when something you write & read about happens. I got hit today by a car. I believe I was lucky as I'm still bodily whole and breathing. I have yet to seek medical care but will today or tomorrow. I can walk, but my left hip, which took the impact hurts a lot. As it turns out there was a policeman walking up the block that saw it all. Not only, but he himself is a bikecyclist and was involved in a similar accident with a car hitting him. So the best kind of witness possible. I'm thinking about what to do.

Part of me wants to sue. Not just to cover medical costs and damage to my bike (real wheel is bent), but real damages. This is the situation where a driver is pulling into traffic, not looking and seeing me and running into me - 100% his fault - no question of liability. We are not considered a "bike friendly" city, with designated bike lanes and so forth. The only way to change attitdues is if drivers are held to the fullest account. What should my damages be? Obviously more than medical and bike. How much more? How much to become a message? Give me a number - I'm taking a poll :?: Thanks. :evil:

OK got back from the hospital where they took xrays and looked me over. No broken bones! Which is a relief. Deep concusion. Means pain for 3-4 weeks until it heals. Hard to walk on it, even on pain meds. Vicodin and Motrin combined.
Click to expand...

Not sure you need to sue. Years ago an older lady in a big white Buick rolled through a stop sign and nailed me. I saw her coming and stood on the pedals to get clear, but it was too late. The Buick hit my rear wheel, turned it into a pie plate and sent me flying.

She rolls down her window, says "Are you all right?"

"Let me get your insurance information," I say. She gave it up, and I made a claim. Her company paid out for a new wheel and some brake levers. That bike was an old Bianchi road frame that I'd converted to single-speed commuter by removing the derailleur. The chain tension was never right until I got that new flip-flop hub paid for by that old lady's insurance company. This was years before hipsters rode fixies, so don't hate.

Maybe try making a claim against his insurance, but don't sue. That would certainly cause you more pain than getting run over.
 
Beachcruzer said:
This was years before hipsters rode fixies, so don't hate.
Click to expand...

I lol'd.
 
My father-in-law just informed me that he is giving me his pristine orange 1972 Volkswagen Super Beetle. Beetles appear to be one of the easiest vehicles to convert to electric, so I am super pumped to get started. I did a search on here regarding what to expect when insuring it once it's converted, but there doesn't seem to be much. So here are my questions:

1. Should I even tell the insurance company that I have converted it? Would I pay more because I told them (appreciation due to "modernizing")? Or would the conversion actually decrease the value of the car as a collector's item and therefore decrease the rate? Rates are currently dirt cheap for a stock vehicle this old.
2. If I didn't tell them and got into an accident, would my insurance somehow be invalidated if the insurance company found out it was converted? Do they even care?
3. I have heard about proposals for a mileage tax on EVs since they don't pay a road usage tax when buying gas. I am not sure if this is near being implemented in CA, but I am wary about declaring the conversion to the state if it is. On the other hand, there are some freebees you get by declaring (HOV lane usage, etc), but I'd expect those benefits to go away as EVs become more ubiquitous. What are the pros and cons?

Any help or recommendations are appreciated!
 
some info
http://www.endless-sphere.com/forums/search.php?keywords=Insurance&terms=all&author=&sc=1&sf=titleonly&sk=t&sd=d&sr=topics&st=0&ch=300&t=0&submit=Search
http://www.endless-sphere.com/forums/search.php?keywords=Insurance&terms=all&author=&sc=1&sf=all&sk=t&sd=d&sr=topics&st=0&ch=300&t=0&submit=Search
 
Thanks Amberwolf, but as I stated in the original post I already did those searches and almost all of it relates to e-bikes or e-scooters and not electric cars. The *one* thread relevant to cars talks about what companies to go to but doesn't offer any particulars pertaining to the questions I asked above.
 
Personally, I wouldn't sacrifice any pristine classic VW to be gutted; JMHO by the way. (After over 25 years, I still greatly miss my '56 Wolfsburger Type 1 lumpen dacher oval ragtop). Really great freebie though! Drive it around a little before you decide, maybe you will grow fond of it the way it is. 8)
 
ah; i mised that. sorry i am having troulble concentrating and comprehending sometimes recently. (more trouble than usual, cuz i'm so tired).
 
I see your point, The fingers, but I kind of feel like I'll be extending the life of this VW by electrifying it.
 
Easy dude, I'd get a rope too if you were modifying a 56 oval window ragtop that was pristine. But a 72, eh, do whatever you want with it. Sure it's old, but if you count the mexican ones, they made a bazillon of em. It isn't special in terms of rarity.

Talk with your insurance company, and if they don't like it, find another company that does. Other forums that are more car oriented might have good companies to recomend. You should'nt have too much trouble getting insured.
 
I've recently finished building my electric motorcycle. It does use a frame from a Honda but beyond that it's essentially custom from the ground up. The donor bike's ownership is in my name and it has a full safety certificate. I now want to get it on the road but of course I now insurance before I can plate it up. I'm not sure how to deal with this, as I've found that in dealing with insurance companies, when information isn't available in a drop-down menu things quickly grind to a halt.

I'm wondering if anyone has an insight in to the following:

-Are there any recommended insurers?

-Any that are electric friendly?

-Any that might be custom friendly?

-Should I be insuring this thing as a modified version of the original bike or as a fully custom machine?

-How do I place a value on it? (I mean, I built it)

-Is there any big money to be saved by limiting it's speed and making it classify as a LSV?

Any other advice or pitfalls to avoid would be greatly appreciated.
 
Call a local custom chopper shop-- the guys who make things that have Harley-Davidson engines but aren't Harleys. They'll know.
 
Lost in the comments concerning electric scooter classification is the real issue of insurability. Yes, the owner of an electric scooter does not need to either register or insure his scooter. Fair enough. ICBC even state that it will not insure “power assisted bicycles” and tells owners to check with their home insurance. Home insurers are all different, but mine told me that disability scooters were covered by the standard home owner policy. i am awaiting an answer on power assisted bicycles. At least, for loss like theft or damage when someone damages your scooter.. This may or may not cover power assisted bicycles”. But what about liability???

Frank is an avid rider of his electric scooter. He drives it to and from university. One day, it is raining lightly and Frank is on his way. He fails to stop at a stop sign, a large semi truck swerves to avoid him, tips over and smashes into a school bus full of kids, two of whom are killed and seven badly injured. Witnesses all confirm the semi had the right of way, a green light, and was doing under the speed limit. Claims quickly rise to over a million.

Now, Frank has no auto insurance – not required under the BC MVA. Police confirm the pedals were mounted as required, Frank was doing less than 32KPH, and that he was indeed wearing a helmet. So on all counts, Frank is totally legal. He is also the direct cause of all injuries and damage, to the truck driver and his company, the school district that operates the bus and the injured students on the bus. The bus was certainly not liable nor was the driver of the semi or its owner. The fingers point to Frank and he is given a ticket for not stopping at a red light, pays the fine early reducing it from $167 to $98. No other charge is indicated.

Two Franks might be considered. The first is a twenty-eight year old grad student who has large student loans but no assets of any value. A test shows Frank One has recently toked a joint. Frank Two is a long time professor, owns his own house (with very could coverage but no specific provision for power-assisted bicycles), with his wife, lots of furniture, a nice power boat, three cars (one for wife, Frank and their 17 year old son) and a good portfolio of stocks and bonds in a retirement fund. Frank Two is fifty-seven. Oh yes, test show Frank Two had not been drinking nor taking any other drugs.

Well, Frank One has nothing to loose. If he declares bankruptcy, he might be able to still continue studies with more student loans. By the time he graduates, that will be half over. Frank Two has assets. The plaintiffs can demand his interest in the house, the cars and the retirement fund in his name. By the time all is finished, he is destitute, his wife has left with his son, and he is living in a bedroom suite as much/most of his salary is garnished. His bankruptcy will last for the rest of his earning years.

Willow
 
or you join your local states bike riding club which then you get insurance for bike riding under the club sports insurance banner. doesnt matter if its electric or not its still a bike and all of the payouts you are talking about would be covered by insurance and most if not all out of pocket if you were injured and could not continue to work. :mrgreen:

AFAIK All major bike riding clubs will have this insurance, i know australia definatly does and it costs a whopping $10 a year for membership. :D
 
If Frank were riding his regular, non-electrified bicycle would the picture have changed? I might be wrong here, but I don't see any difference at all.

What does this have to do with power-assisted bicycles? Or may be I'm missing something.

In fact, the story remains the same if Frank were driving his fully insured car. The insurance company will only pay up to his policy limit. He's on his own for anything above and beyond that limit.
 
Frank one with empty pockets could've started crossing the street on foot and not notice he didn't have the right of way because he was to busy texting, truck swerves just missing him and hits bus.
Or Frank two with all his assets could've started to cross the street on foot and not notice he didn't have the right of way because he was to busy looking in his briefcase to see if he forgot his IPhone charging plug, truck swerves just missing him and hits bus.

They could be riding unicycles, skate boards, inline skates and the outcome would be the same. It's not the ebike that will ruin Frank two, it's his inability to ride it in a safe way.

If you don't make it a habit of running through red lights, you should be fine riding your ebike.
 
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