Sounds like you have a cheap Chinese scooter. Best of luck with it. Really. If it is 50cc, then it is gas, not electric. Electric start, as has been said, makes no difference. If it does not have pedals, it is not a moped, as that is what the "ped" part of moped means. You can still register it in some states as a moped, and some you can't. It gets even more complicated. Some people have been able to register a 50cc scooter as a moped in their state, while others have been unable to do so in the same state. I think it kind of depends on which idiot, and they are all idiots, that you get stuck with at the DMV. None of them know the rules, some of them will give you a moped plate, some won't. Peace. Jerry.