The U.S. bicycle industry is close to raising $300,000 for a new lobbying initiative aimed at passing model e-bike legislation in New York and California and laying ground work for the daunting work of reforming laws state-by-state.

In a solicitation letter sent in early January, the chairman of the Bicycle Product Suppliers Association's (BPSA) E-Bike Committee urged large e-bike companies contribute $50,000 toward the campaign, medium companies $25,000, small companies $10,000 and retailers $1,000. 

“We are almost there,” Committee Chairman and Currie Technologies President Larry Pizzi told The B.O.S.S. Report Friday. “More money came in this week and by end of next week I would think will be at $300,000.”
As of Friday, People for Bikes, the California Bicycle Coalition and the New York Bicycle Coalition had all committed to attending an eBike Advocacy Summit Feb. 27 at Currie Tech's headquarters in Irvine, CA. During the meeting, committee members and advocacy groups will try to hammer out language for model legislation and select an 8-to-10 member task force that would have the authority to hire someone to coordinate the lobbying effort and facilitate future strategic planning through 2016.

Cycling advocacy groups have already lined up legislators  in the California and New York state assemblies to sponsor bills.  People for Bikes, meanwhile, has identified five other states where e-bike bills have been introduced.

The effort follows Accell North America's decision to offer e-bikes, including e-mountain bikes (e-MTB), from its Haibike, Lapierre and Raleigh brands in the United States for the first time last summer. Bosch eBike Systems, meanwhile, occupied its new 4,000-square-foot US headquarters in Irvine, CA late last year. During a media tour of the facility Jan. 8, executives said BH EasyMotion,  Grace, KTM, Xtracycle and others brands will join, Felt Bicycles, Haibike and Lapierre in offering Bosch- powered e-bikes in  the United States and Canada in 2015.  
On Friday, Pizzi told The B.O.S.S. Report that Shimano stepped up as the largest contributor. The Japanese company's recently revamped STEP electric drive system will debut in North America this spring on several bike models. Pizzi said Currie Tech has already sold through a limited run of STEP-powered Raleigh bikes for that won't become available to U.S. dealers until April.

“Adoption has greatly exceeded expectations,” said Pizzi, who also serves as managing director of Accell North America's Electric Bicycle Competence Center, which was established last year to provide  support to Haibike, Lapierre and Raleigh e-bike dealers. “I think this is really going to be a watershed year. Bosch had huge impact on reliability and credibility, but Bosch is not a bike company, so there was still some apprehension among bike dealers. Shimano is the inner circle.”