This little briefcase dynamometer is undeniably clever – and it’s cool to see such portable testing tech in action. But it also highlights how outdated many micromobility laws have become. If we applied the same logic to cars, my mom’s minivan could triple the local speed limit, and she’d be at risk of getting it confiscated each time she drove to the supermarket.

What a stupid take. I don’t know what the reality is where the author is based, but where I live (and probably with our Swiss neighbors, where the topic of the article is located), you cannot make any vehicle faster without the required tech inspection and paperwork. If I decided to turbocharge my car to make it more powerful and faster than the approved engine output and top speed the manufacturer specced it at when it was sold, I need to have it inspected, deemed safe enough and have the papers updated. If the engineer at the inspection site thinks that the brakes and suspension are insufficient for 80 more horses, that’s no bueno. Back when I was riding my 50 cc Vespa, making it faster would have voided its official permission to be used on public roads and also meant that I would have lacked the driving license to operate any vehicle at those top speeds.

Limiting the top speed of electric bicycles and scooters is, most importantly, a matter of safety.