The US two-wheel market has a hole in the middle. E-bike assist legally tops out at 28 mph, full-size electric motorcycles are a different budget and license conversation, and the seated scooters that dominate commuting across Europe and Asia have never caught on here, a gap Electrek’s coverage calls out directly. San Francisco-based HMP Bikes just aimed a product straight at it: the HMP Flash, a seated electric scooter with a claimed 75 mph (120 km/h) top speed and a starting price of $4,799, reported by Electrek on July 18, 2026.
Before you get excited about a cheap highway commuter, absorb the single most important fact in this story. The Flash is not an e-bike, not legally and not practically. In HMP’s home state of California, the company says it registers as a motorcycle, which means an M1 motorcycle license and a DOT-approved helmet. Everything else about this launch flows from that.
Here is what HMP announced, what the numbers actually mean, and the homework a US buyer should do before putting money down.
What HMP Announced
According to Electrek, the Flash is a two-seat electric scooter built around removable 3.3 kWh battery packs, sold in single- and dual-battery configurations. The dual-battery version carries 6.6 kWh total, and that is the setup behind the headline 70-mile (112 km) range figure.
Performance is the attention-getter. A 75 mph top speed puts the Flash on real highways, which Electrek notes is territory almost no seated electric scooter in the US currently occupies. HMP designed the Flash for delivery riders, per the report, which explains the priorities: tested range over lab estimates, swappable batteries, fast charging, and durability for high-mileage use.
The standard equipment list is unusually long for the price, per Electrek: ABS brakes, traction control, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a built-in dash cam, keyless start, a center stand, and a rear cargo rack. Versions with the onboard charger add heated grips, and HMP says IoT GPS tracking with a companion app is planned for a future update. Planned means not shipping yet, so do not buy on the promise of the app.
HMP Flash key figures (all attributed to HMP via Electrek)
data| Spec | Figure | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Top speed | 75 mph (120 km/h) | Highway capable; registers as a motorcycle in California per HMP |
| Range | 70 miles (112 km) | HMP's own city test with the dual-battery version, not an independent measurement |
| Battery | 3.3 kWh per removable pack | Single (3.3 kWh) or dual (6.6 kWh) configurations |
| Onboard charging | Optional 2 kW, J1772 plug | HMP says 20% to 80% in about two hours on the dual-battery model |
| Portable charging | 840 W included charger | Works from a standard household outlet; batteries can also charge off the scooter |
| Price | $4,799 to $5,999 | Single battery without onboard charger up to dual battery with integrated charger |
This Is a Motorcycle, Not an E-Bike
If you are coming from the e-bike world, recalibrate now. The three-class system that governs e-bikes in most states caps assisted speed at 28 mph for Class 3, and the Flash’s claimed top speed is more than triple the 20 mph Class 1 and 2 limit. Our e-bike classes guide explains where those lines sit, and the Flash is far beyond all of them.
That has concrete consequences. In California, per HMP’s own statement in Electrek’s report, the Flash registers as a motorcycle and requires an M1 license and a DOT-approved helmet. Other states draw their motorcycle and motor-driven cycle lines differently, but this machine sits far outside the common three-class e-bike framework. Check registration, plate, insurance, helmet, and license requirements with your state DMV before ordering.
We have covered this boundary before with off-road machines that look like bicycles but are legally something else. The rules work the same way here, just more clearly: if you have wondered whether electric dirt bikes are street legal, the Flash is the easier case, because it launches as a road vehicle with motorcycle paperwork from day one.
The 70-Mile Range Claim, Read Carefully
HMP’s range figure deserves both credit and scrutiny. Credit, because the company says it publishes tested numbers rather than optimistic laboratory estimates, and it disclosed the test conditions: real-world riding on San Francisco city streets, a 200 lb (91 kg) rider, and roughly an 80/20 split of city and highway riding, per Electrek.
Scrutiny, because it is still the manufacturer testing its own product. A company-run test with disclosed conditions is more honest than a bare lab number, but it is not independent verification, and nobody outside HMP has published range data yet. Note also that the 70-mile figure applies to the dual-battery 6.6 kWh version. Electrek’s report does not list a range figure for the single-battery model, so assume meaningfully less and ask HMP directly if the $4,799 base version is the one you want.
The 80/20 city/highway split matters more than it looks. Highway speed drains any electric two-wheeler far faster than city riding. If your commute is mostly at 65 mph, your real range will land below a test that spent most of its miles in town. That is physics, not a knock on HMP.
The Charging Setup Is the Smartest Part
The charging story is where the delivery-rider design shows, and it is genuinely flexible. Per Electrek, buyers can option an onboard 2 kW charger with a J1772 connector, the same plug used by most public Level 2 car chargers. HMP says that setup takes the dual-battery model from 20% to 80% in about two hours.
Skip the onboard charger and you still get two paths: pull the batteries and charge them inside, or use the included 840 W portable charger from a regular household outlet. Removable packs are a big deal for apartment dwellers and anyone who parks on the street, since the scooter can stay outside while the batteries charge by the couch.
Where the Flash Sits in the US Market
Electrek’s assessment is that the Flash occupies a nearly empty niche. The closest comparable highway-capable electric scooter sold in the US, per the report, is the BMW CE 04 at nearly $13,000, and Electrek puts the Flash at around a third of that price.
The more interesting comparison for RoostMode readers may be the light electric motorcycle segment. Machines like the Sur-Ron lineup, KTM’s electrics, and the Stark Varg attack performance from the dirt side, and our electric dirt bike showdown covers what those machines do well. The Flash is a different animal: step-through practicality, weather protection, storage, and a passenger seat instead of trail capability. For a commuter who wants highway speed without a $10,000-plus outlay, that is a combination the US market has simply not offered.
The open questions are the ones no launch story can answer. Long-term reliability, parts supply, dealer or service coverage, and warranty execution are not established by Electrek’s launch report, and our verification did not identify an independent Flash road test. A new model with ambitious claimed specifications warrants the standard caution: find out who fixes it, where, and how fast, before you order.
The Honest Takeaway
On paper, the HMP Flash is one of the more interesting US two-wheeler launches of 2026: motorcycle speed, disclosed-conditions range testing, flexible charging, and a price that undercuts its only comparable rival by thousands, all per Electrek’s reporting of HMP’s claims. Those claims are coherent and refreshingly specific, and the delivery-rider design brief suggests the right priorities.
But every number here is still the manufacturer’s. RoostMode has not ridden the Flash, no independent range or reliability data exists yet, and the licensing requirement changes the buyer math in ways the price tag hides. If the Flash fits your commute, the smart sequence is: check your state’s motorcycle licensing rules, get the endorsement process moving, and wait for the first independent reviews before deciding. We will cover them when they land.
FAQ
FAQ
+Do you need a motorcycle license to ride the HMP Flash?
+Is the HMP Flash an e-bike?
+How far does the HMP Flash really go on a charge?
+How long does the HMP Flash take to charge?
+How much does the HMP Flash cost and what comes standard?
+What are the alternatives to the HMP Flash in the US?
Sources
- New HMP Flash brings affordable 75 mph electric scooters to the US (Electrek, July 18, 2026)
- HMP Flash official product page (HMP Bikes): this page returned HTTP 429 during our verification, so RoostMode could not independently confirm specifications there; all figures above rely on Electrek’s reporting, which attributes them to HMP.