Last week, the California Air Resources Board finally issued its request for proposals to administer the $10 million electric bicycle purchase incentive program. CalBike worked with Assembly champions Tasha Boerner Horvath and Richard Bloom to get the program approved in 2021.
CalBike members and a number of industry leaders have supported our work to shape the program to meet our goals:
Replacing car trips with bike trips
Supporting low-income Californians
Supporting all kinds of e-bikes, including cargo bikes, bikes for people with disabilities
Supporting retail shops and community organizations
Providing safety education
Moving quickly, in order to get more funding in future years
How well those goals are met will depend upon who gets the contract to administer the program and how they operate it. CalBike’s first impression of CARB’s RFP is that it’s likely to produce great results. The RFP emphasizes quick action and reducing car trips, and it calls for low administrative costs, which means more bikes in the hands of more people.
CARB is accepting applications until May 10. It will choose the administrator by June 10 and deliver the funds by July 1, as required by law.
E-bike vouchers will become available a few months after July 1; the exact date of launch will depend on the timeline of the vendor selected to administer the program.
CalBike is working with potential applicants to make sure their proposals are as strong as possible. To stay informed about the process, sign up to receive updates.
https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/edgerunner11i_03.jpeg791791Dave Snyderhttps://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.pngDave Snyder2022-04-13 18:51:252022-04-13 18:51:28Next Steps for California’s E-Bike Voucher Program
Thanks to support from our members, CalBike won a $10 million appropriation in this year’s budget to help Californians purchase electric bikes. The California Air Resources Board will administer the program, which must be operating by July of 2022.
The program will distribute vouchers to people who meet income eligibility requirements. The CARB will release a Request for Proposals to implement the program in the next couple of months, detailing important goals and specifications to shape voucher distribution.
CalBike is working with CARB to help ensure that the implementation meets CalBike’s objectives for this program. Here’s what we know so far.
Which types of e-bikes are eligible for the voucher program?
“Electric bicycles eligible for the incentives include, but are not limited to, those designed for people with disabilities; utility bicycles for carrying equipment or passengers, including children; and folding bicycles.”
Who will be eligible for e-bike purchase incentives?
The Air Resources Board has signaled its intent to restrict eligibility to low-income households (defined as households with income less than four times the federal poverty level, or $51,520 for an individual, or $106,000 for a family of four). The income restriction is not required by law, and CARB’s electric vehicle incentive program doesn’t include any income requirements.
CalBike and the more than 50 organizations that supported the program advocated for at least 80% of the funds to go to low-income households. We wanted 20% of the vouchers available to middle-income families to allow for broader funding distribution. Plus, it would have recognized that, like EVs, e-bikes are a civic good, and the state wants to encourage people to choose this form of transportation.
CalBike supports this initial round of funding going exclusively to disadvantaged people. However, it will take more than a grant to make the program successful. The upfront cost of a quality e-bike will be out of reach for most low-income people, even with a hefty subsidy. To ensure that everyone can access this incentive, we want the program to include an arrangement with a lender to will provide low- or zero-interest loans to buyers so that they can pay for an e-bike in installments.
The role of community-based organizations
A bike purchase incentive program differs from an electric vehicle incentive program because many potential recipients don’t already recognize how a bike could improve their lives. Everyone (almost) wants a car and would welcome a purchase subsidy, but the same is not true for bikes.
That’s why CalBike sees an essential role for nonprofits in distributing the funds. If community organizations serving low-income people are able to make extremely low-cost e-bikes available to their constituencies, they can engage and educate about howto use the bike to replace car trips. A nonprofit can also provide bike safety information and classes, so grant recipients are confident to ride their e-bikes for transportation. With this support, the e-bike suddenly becomes a viable transportation choice and the subsidy a critical lifeline.
Community-based organizations can also help identify the people who would benefit most from a low-cost e-bike and help spread the word among their constituencies. Plus, they can assist with the paperwork to apply for the grants, and they might be able to combine this subsidy with other funding sources to make bikes truly affordable. These groups can also provide feedback to evaluate the impact of the e-bike affordability program.
The impact of $10M for e-bikes
If designed and administered well, California’s new e-bike affordability program could have an impact far beyond the lives of the people who will be able to buy e-bikes.
First, if CARB successfully markets the program, it will increase awareness of biking as a viable and green transportation option. That, we hope, will create demand to expand the program and increase the funding available to help people buy bikes. And the incentives will put thousands more bicycles on our streets, which will raise the visibility of biking, increase the pressure to build safe bikeways, and encourage more people to hop on a bike. Plus, up to 10% of the funding in this program may be used for bicycle education, so it’s a great opportunity to build skills and confidence for more riders.
We’ll keep you informed when there’s more to know about the e-bike affordability program. Sign up below to be the first to know when the e-bike vouchers become available.
https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Yuba-e-bike-POC-e1616451276226.jpeg10562400Dave Snyderhttps://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.pngDave Snyder2022-02-09 19:34:332022-02-09 19:34:35Making California’s E-Bike Affordability Program Successful
Erin Shannon’s work as a project administrator for a general contractor takes her to project sites or to the main office, which means a commute from Oakland to San Francisco or South San Francisco. “I had to drive to and from. That was an hour or hour and a half to get there and up to three hours to get home,” she says. “It was not okay.” Taking transit wasn’t any better, particularly since part of the commute would involve tricky timing to catch a shuttle. Her health suffered. “I was absolutely miserable,” she recalls.
Three things happened to change Shannon’s life. “I had one of my best friends pass away and it made me want to change my life, to live,” she says. “Then I met someone.” Her new friend was a “heavy-duty bicyclist.” So, when her car got totaled, her friend helped her use the insurance money to buy an e-bike. He set up her bike so it is really comfortable to ride.
With the e-bike, Shannon was able to change her commute from being stuck in traffic to riding to and from public transit. “I had been really depressed before I started moving so much,” she says. “I feel healthier, mentally as well as physically.”
CalBike’s long campaign for e-bike purchase incentives
CalBike’s goal is to create a healthier and more equitable California by making biking accessible to more people. We do that by advocating for state funding for bikeways and changes to laws and regulations to create safer streets. E-bikes, because they make the life-changing joy of bicycling accessible to a wider range of people, are a vital part of that strategy.
“Electric bikes make biking a viable transportation choice for a broader range of people,” says Dave Snyder, CalBike’s executive director. “But, with the price of an average e-bike at $1,500 or more, many people need help to make that purchase. California gives incentives to help people buy EVs; it should do the same for e-bikes.”
In 2019, CalBike helped pass SB 400 (Umberg), which added e-bike vouchers to the Clean Cars 4 All program. The program, administered by the California Air Resources Board, allows lower-income Californians to trade in polluting automobiles and receive vouchers toward an EV purchase. And now, thanks to SB 400, you can get a voucher for an e-bike purchase. Check out the program on your local Air Quality Control Board website to get the specifics for your area.
However, the SB 400 roll-out was delayed by the pandemic in 2020. In addition, unlike the electric car vouchers, the bike program is restricted to low-income people, and you have to have a qualifying car to turn in. We knew we needed to do more.
Monica delaCruz loves her e-bike!
E-bike subsidies work
Monica delaCruz used to get around San Diego on a bike she bought off craigslist or by arranging rides with friends. “I’m the type of person, I like to go out a lot, do arts things, political things,” she says. But she felt dependent on rides when she wanted to go further, so she ended up staying home more because it was too much effort to go out.
Buying an e-bike was not part of the plan for delaCruz because she assumed it was out of her price range. “I was not going to pay that much for a bike,” she says. But when she heard about a county program in San Diego that would give her an e-bike if she agreed to log her miles and share her trips, she jumped at the chance.
“I just feel like my radius around my house where I’m comfortable going for picking up dinner or meeting friends is bigger,” she says. “Weather doesn’t matter as much, terrain doesn’t matter as much.” She adds, “I feel like I’m way more connected to any place that I need to go in San Diego.”
One of the biggest changes was her commute to National City, which can take up to an hour with multiple transit connections. “Now, I can get to the more convenient transit station because I’m not worrying about going up and down the hill,” delaCruz says. She can take her e-bike on the trolley and ride to her office, cutting her commute down to 20 minutes.
She has also found solace on her bike. “Sometimes, in the middle of the day, if it’s not too hot, I’ll take a ride. For me it’s really relaxing,” she says. Some of her friends have e-bikes through the same program and they sometimes meet up and ride. “Now it’s more social and relaxed to go on a bike ride together when you’re not worried about being out of breath talking.”
Now, delaCruz would like to get another e-bike and a purchase incentive would make that much more possible for her.
With an electric boost, people ride more often and go farther by bike
As we ramped up our 2021 E-bike purchase incentive campaign, we asked CalBike members and supporters for their e-bike stories. Dozens of people wrote to tell us how an e-bike purchase had changed the way they get around.
Brian Cox uses his e-bike for a 20-mile commute from Placentia to Irvine. “I am not a recreational cyclist,” he says. “I ride my bike because it’s a reason to get to work. It’s a total transportation alternative for me.” He started bike commuting in 2007 as a way to get outside and get more exercise. But the e-bike reduced his commute time each way by a third and enables him to ride five days a week instead of two.
Brian Cox on his e-bike
He monitors his heart rate while he rides and finds it’s only 10 bpm less on the e-bike than on his classic bike. And studies have shown that riding e-bikes keep riders fit because they tend to ride longer distances and more often than they would have on a manual bike.
Cox rides a Class 3 e-bike with a top speed of 28 mph, which helps him feel safe sharing the road with cars. “They have a lot more opportunity to see me than if I’m going 10 and they’re going 40,” he says. “With people’s distractions, that little bit of time can be a lifesaver.”
As VP of Operations for Jax Bicycles, Cox didn’t have to buy his e-bike. It is his “company car,” owned by his employer, which also pays employees $3 a day for commuting to work by bike.
He has seen e-bike sales shoot up in the last five years at his stores. “My hope and dream is that people will start to recognize that they have an option to maybe ride their bicycle to work now that they’ve got an e-bike,” he says. He hopes that e-bike rebates will raise awareness about what’s possible.
Shannon encourages others to bike by posting her bike joy on Instagram.
Radical joy
In a huge victory for low-carbon transportation in California, CalBike secured $10 million in funding for e-bike purchase incentives. Unlike rebates or tax breaks, which require people to front the money for a purchase and get it back later, the program will give people credits that they can use to buy an e-bike. That makes the program useful and accessible to people who wouldn’t otherwise have the money to buy an e-bike.
When CARB launches the program in July 2022, it will put 10,000 or more new e-bikes on the road across California. Shannon and delaCruz give us a window into the impact that will have on people’s lives and their happiness.
“I think we need to change our idea about how we get from point a to point B,” delaCruz says. “This is how I get places. This is my form of transit.” She definitely rides more miles now that she has an e-bike.
She also thinks the e-bike revolution can change how we think about who bikes. “Everybody thinks of the bike commuter being the 2% body fat guy with lycra,” delaCruz says. “I’m fat, my friends are fat, and I’m seeing more people out with larger bodies. It’s beautiful. I love seeing it around town. And I love being seen too.” E-bikes take away the barrier of worrying about not being able to keep up on a bike or worrying about your fitness level.
Shannon uses her daily commute as a stress-reducer: “I’m outside, the wind is blowing through my hair, I can see birds. It’s pretty beautiful. I feel like Snow White or Mary Poppins,” she says. “I feel powerful when I’m on my bike. And free. And I hadn’t felt that in a long time. That’s pretty amazing.”
“It’s like you’re directly involved in life, instead of being in a little tube. It’s freedom, bottom line.”
– Erin Shannon
And she sees her e-bike as a wise investment. “This bike, when I got it, was the most expensive thing I’ve ever owned outright,” Shannon says. “It was terrifying. But then I thought about it and about how much less I would spend on gas in the car.” She adds, “And I feel like I’m contributing to the environment, not being one of those cars stuck in traffic.”
The benefits of CalBike’s e-bike program will extend beyond the people who will be able to afford new e-bikes. “More people experiencing their roads outside of their car can experience road safety in a different way,” delaCruz says. “I hope it brings safer roads for everybody.”
CalBike’s Snyder sees safety as a major benefit of the new e-bike affordability program. “We’ve seen data this year that shows there is safety in numbers for bike riders on the streets,” he says. “And we know that, when people see more e-bikes and see how much fun people are having, they’re going to want one too.” He’s also looking to the future. “Some European countries have recognized the importance of adding biking to the transportation mix with cash incentives for all types of bikes, or repairs or gear. We’d love to see California offer subsidies on every bike purchase, electric or classic.”
CalBike’s $10 million E-Bike Affordability Program has been fully funded and is now in the planning stages. The program will give grants to help as many as 10,000 Californians buy e-bikes, starting in July 2022.
On Monday, CalBike Executive Director Dave Snyder and José Jimenez from Active San Gabriel Valley (Active SGV) met with the California Air Resources Board staff who are designing the program. Jimenez brought his experience administering a successful and popular e-bike program for Active SGV in 2017.
CARB staff noted that the July 1, 2022 deadline set by the legislature gives them an incredibly tight turnaround. They are working at an accelerated pace to develop a call for proposals to administer the program. But first, they must establish the parameters of that program and get it approved through the many layers of CARB bureaucracy. They were happy to learn of the groundwork we’ve laid.
CARB is planning its first public workgroup for the program on Monday, August 30. Click here to register.
Goals for making e-bikes affordable to more Californians
CalBike is working to make sure the program meets the goals we developed in collaboration with stakeholders from the environmental justice community, local community organizations like Active SGV, local public agencies like utility companies, and disparate sectors of the bike industry.
Help people replace car trips with e-bike trips.
Prioritize grants to individuals from low-income households.
Define eligibility for the program as individuals and households with incomes below the maximum limits established in the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project.
Support related programs and benefits, such as safety education.
Provide support for a variety of electric bicycles, including, but not limited to, bicycles designed for people with disabilities; utility bikes for carrying equipment or passengers, including children; and folding e-bikes.
Support local small businesses and organizations, such as retail bicycle shops and nonprofit organizations, including community bicycle shops.
Collaborate with other state departments and agencies to enforce safeguards against fraudulent activity by sellers and purchasers of e-bikes in accordance with the law.
Ensure that e-bikes purchased through this program meet a high standard of quality and durability.
https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/edgerunner11i_03.jpeg791791Dave Snyderhttps://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.pngDave Snyder2021-08-16 18:02:552021-08-16 18:02:57CalBike Works with CA Air Resources Board to Develop E-Bike Grant Program
Update, 7/14/21: Governor Newsom signed the budget, ensuring that CalBike’s $10 million e-bike affordability program will be funded! CalBike is continuing to work with legislators and program administrators to make sure the program is implemented equitably.
For Immediate Release: 7/2/21
SACRAMENTO – CalBike is thrilled to announce that legislators approved a $10 million e-bike incentive program in next year’s state budget. Funded as part of the state’s campaign to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles, the program will help thousands of Californians get access to e-bikes to replace car trips. Bikes eligible will include bikes “designed for people with disabilities; utility bicycles for carrying equipment or passengers, including children; and folding bicycles.”
CalBike Executive Director Dave Snyder said, “E-Bikes are a great climate investment not just because they don’t emit carbon dioxide, but because thousands of people will learn how safe and fun it can be to replace short car trips with bike trips.”
CalBike, joined by more than 80 allied organizations across the state, submitted a letter of support for Assemblymember Tasha Boerner Horvath’s request for a budget allocation to implement the proposed e-bike incentive program.
“Making e-bikes more affordable is one of the most effective ways to get Californians out of their cars and reduce emissions,” said Assemblymember Boerner Horvath. “I’m thrilled that the full funding I requested for purchase incentives, education, and training is included in the budget we approved. This program represents a priority shift in the right direction and, once implemented, will help folks from all backgrounds choose a healthier, happier way to get around.”
“E-bikes are a key alternative to the automobile for short trips and everyday errands,” said Assemblymember Richard Bloom. “Advanced technology and broad availability are making E-bikes more accessible every day. This funding will provide an incentive that will reduce both traffic congestion and pollution. I am elated that I could play a part in making clean e-bikes more accessible to every Californian.”
The budget language includes:
Electric Bicycle Incentives Project, no later than July 1, 2022, to provide financial incentives for purchasing electric bicycles. Up to 10 percent of the total funding for this purpose is available to support related programs such as safety education programs. Electric bicycles eligible for the incentives include, but are not limited to, those designed for people with disabilities; utility bicycles for carrying equipment or passengers, including children; and folding bicycles.
In the 2023–24 fiscal year, the board shall report to the Legislature on the progress and outcomes of this program, including: (A) the number of rebates awarded, (B) the location of sales for which rebates were awarded, and (C) the estimated climate impact of the program, including estimated greenhouse gases abated.
“E-bikes can be the centerpiece of California’s strategy to replace gas-powered car trips to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions while also advancing equity, promoting public health, reducing traffic, and helping working families save money,” said Dave Snyder, executive director of CalBike. “Until now, California has focused its efforts on electric cars. This new program breaks that funding dam and begins investing in a technology that is a known carbon crusher, E-bikes. E-bikes are the cleanest EV.”
Californians use their cars mostly for short trips, 60% of all trips are six miles or less. Electric bicycles can easily replace those trips. Electric bicycle users take children to school, haul hundreds of pounds of equipment or groceries, and travel long distances and over steep hills, without breaking a sweat.
But electric bicycles are not nearly as widespread as they should be because they are expensive. Safe electric bikes of respectable durability cost from $2,000 to $5,000 depending on your need.
The Electric Bicycle Incentives Project incentive will enable the switch, simultaneously serving California’s VMT reduction goals and improving the economic security of the recipient. California families burdened with the costs of car ownership can save money by owning an electric bike.
https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/CB_EBike_Ad_800x320_A_NOTEXT.jpg320800Nicolay Kreidlerhttps://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.pngNicolay Kreidler2021-07-02 15:34:552021-07-23 19:12:13Victory! $10 Million E-Bike Affordability Program Included in State Budget
CalBike, joined by dozens of allied organizations across the state, submitted a letter of support for Assemblymember Tasha Boerner Horvath’s request for a budget allocation to implement the proposed e-bike incentive program. The letter and its accompanying fact sheet express the consensus of a diversity of organizations that a $10 million investment in helping Californians get e-bikes is a great way to advance very many goals: climate change reduction, social equity, health and happiness, local economic sustainability, and traffic safety.
Dozens of organizations signed on, including statewide, regional, and local advocates for environmental sustainability, equity, and transportation justice; as well as influential public officials and agencies.
https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/iStock-598565062_purchased-scaled.jpg17072560Dave Snyderhttps://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.pngDave Snyder2021-06-17 23:56:062021-07-02 13:17:22E-bike incentive program budget request
As you may know, our proposal for a $10 million e-bike incentive program has two tracks: AB 117, the bill that creates the program; and the budget request that funds it. Since our last Zoom policy briefing,we’ve focused entirely on the budget request. Our lobbyist Steve Wallauch and I have met directly with leadership in the Senate and Assembly budget committees, and coordinated similar meetings with key allies. The feedback we’re getting is uniformly positive and we are optimistic!
Here’s why. The budget to be approved by the Legislature today has more funds for the Air Resources Board, including for clean vehicle incentives, than the Governor proposed. However, the details of how that funding will be spent are undecided. They will be hashed out in a series of “budget trailer bills” between now and September. Furthermore,we expect that available funding will increase over the summer when the state receives revenues from the cap-and-trade auction.
This means we have a couple of months to get our program written into one of these trailer bills. Committee leadership write trailer bills behind closed doors, with no opportunity for public pressure. However, thanks to our alliances and our Sacramento team, we have the connections we need to get this program written into the budget.
Even better, a budget trailer bill gives us the opportunity to restore the language that was removed from AB 117 in order to advance it out of the Assembly Appropriations Committee. We worked hard to craft that language to balance competing objectives and satisfy diverse stakeholders—environmental justice groups, community organizations, individual consumers, bicycle retailers, and bicycle manufacturers. I will keep you informed as we work to get that language inserted into a budget trailer bill.
After we win the budget, either now or by September, the next steps will be to work with the implementing agency to develop the guidelines that will determine the details of the program.
Thanks again for your ongoing support and interest.
– Dave
P.S. We have done a good job of identifying influencers, but it never hurts to ask: if you have a close connection to one of these six people, let me know: Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, and budget leaders Nancy Skinner and Bob Wieckowski; and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, and budget leaders Phil Ting and Richard Bloom.
P.P.S. You’re receiving this message from me because you’ve signed one of our petitions or expressed support for the bill. This is not a mass mailing. If you want more regular updates, join our list using the form on our homepage at calbike.org.
CONTACT: Dave Snyder, Executive Director, California Bicycle Coalition, 916-251-9433, dave@calbike.org
STUDY: E-Bikes Are the Best Climate Investment for California
SACRAMENTO – A recent study found that subsidies for electric bikes are more cost-effective than electric car incentives at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from private cars. Yet very few programs to incentivize the uptake of the best climate investment exist. As lawmakers in California contemplate billions of dollars in spending to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from private cars, including $1.5 billion to subsidize electric cars, they have a chance to also support electric bikes with a bill being advanced by the Assembly.
AB 117, the E-Bike Affordability Bill (Boerner Horvath), would establish a pilot program to incentivize the purchase of electric bicycles as a means of reducing vehicle miles traveled (VMT), reducing air, water, and noise pollution, and helping Californians get more exercise. To implement the program, legislators must allocate $10 million in the budget being negotiated among the capital’s leaders this month.
“If California is serious about tackling climate change, promoting e-bikes needs to be front and center,” said Assemblymember Tasha Boerner Horvath, the bill’s author. “E-bikes help us cut out shorter car trips, reduce emissions, and move closer to our ambitious climate goals. Now is the time to make e-bikes affordable for all Californians.”
“Compared to EVs, e-bikes are carbon crushers. This fact adds urgency to the effort to help communities move away from car dependence and its terrible impacts,” said Dave Snyder, Executive Director of the California Bicycle Coalition, the sponsor of the E-Bike Affordability Act. “If California’s climate investments are supposed to prioritize solutions that have additional benefits, then this is a no-brainer. Investing in biking makes people healthier and happier, improves traffic safety, and reduces traffic congestion.”
The study focused on the greenhouse gas (GHG) impacts of subsidies for electric bikes, battery-electric cars, and plug-in hybrid electric cars in Oregon. It found that e-bike subsidies, like those in CalBike’s proposed $10M E-Bike Affordability Program, were the most cost-effective way to reduce GHG emissions.
Even with rebates, most Californians can’t afford electric cars. Fewer than 1% of vehicles registered in California today are all-electric. The E-Bike Affordability Program provides purchase incentives targeted at low-income residents, putting zero-emissions transportation within reach for many more Californians. Plus, e-bikes plug into a regular wall outlet and cost about $0.01 per mile to operate — no need for charging stations.
“Electric bicycles (e-bikes) have been found to offer a promising solution to reduce the greenhouse gas (GHG) impact of a region’s passenger transportation system….The literature shows that despite having slightly higher lifecycle emissions than conventional bicycles, privately owned e-bikes emit far less than other motorized modes.”
https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/e-bike-single-man-cropped.jpg200544Dave Snyderhttps://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.pngDave Snyder2021-05-10 08:34:002021-05-07 16:57:07E-Bikes Are the Best Climate Investment for California
CalBike’s E-Bike Affordability Bill (AB 117) had its first victory on Monday when the Assembly Transportation Committee voted unanimously in support of this essential program. Committee Chair Laura Friedman and Member Buffy Wicks asked to be included as co-authors.
Dave Snyder, Vista City Councillor Corinna Contreras, and a number of representatives of environmental groups and individuals spoke in support of the bill during the hearing. Brian Simmons testified eloquently about how his e-bike was essential to his mental and physical healing after losing a leg in military service. Nobody spoke in opposition.
The bill is part of CalBike’s $10M E-Bike Affordability Program. Introduced by Assemblymember Tasha Boerner Horvath, AB 117 establishes an e-bike purchase incentive program which through grants and vouchers will help make e-bikes affordable and accessible to thousands of Californians. Prior to approval, CalBike coordinated amendments among stakeholders to specify the goals of the program. Amendments also removed any reference to funding the program. For the promise of AB 117 to become real, legislators must separately include the $10 million in the state budget.
“The budget process will be key,” said Dave Snyder, CalBike’s Executive Director. “This will be meaningless without a healthy amount of funding.” The $10 million CalBike hopes to win in the 2022 budget is slated to cover the first several years of the program. Snyder hopes that e-bike purchase incentives will be so popular and successful that the state will soon allocate $10 million annually for e-bike purchase incentives.
Funding is the key to removing barriers to e-bike adoption
E-bikes are not only greener than electric cars; they also help people lead more active, healthier lives. And the electricity to power an e-bike costs less than $0.01 per mile.
The biggest barrier to e-bike adoption has been the price. Simple e-bikes of good quality cost more than $1,500, and many of the most useful bikes can cost more than $4,000, well out of the price range for low-income Californians. CalBike’s goal for the program is to connect 10,000 Californians with affordable e-bikes.
The next big test for AB 117 will be the vote on the floor. Many of you emailed your representatives on the Transportation Committee to build support for e-bike purchase incentives. We’ll put out a similar call when the bill comes up for a vote on the Assembly Floor.
But the bigger test for the program will be the budget process. “It’s one thing for legislators to say they support the program in theory,” said Snyder. “It’s more important for them to support it in the budget.”
On Monday, CalBike brings on board a campaign manager to help us win the budget fight. Your support will be critical. Please sign our petition, and include your address, so we know which district you live in to coordinate our advocacy. And please share the petition in your networks.
We can’t avoid the worst effects of climate change unless we transition our transportation sector to cleaner vehicles—quickly. E-bikes are one of the best ways to replace car trips with clean, green transportation. Your support will help us pass and fund this important e-bike affordability program.
On February 11, 2021, California Representative Jimmy Panetta introduced the Electric Bicycle Incentive Kickstart for the Environment Act (E-BIKE Act). The bill is now making its way (slowly) through the committee process in the House.
At CalBike, we’re excited about this federal bill. Although it’s not as progressive as the E-Bike Affordability Program that CalBike is sponsoring in California, it will still have a considerable impact.
What does the federal E-BIKE Act do?
The E-BIKE Act creates a credit against your federal taxes of up to $1,500 per taxpayer. The credit can go toward purchasing one new e-bike with a price tag of $8,000 or less. A Class 1, 2, or 3 e-bike purchase qualifies for the credit.
This tax credit is an essential step toward recognizing e-bikes as a crucial green transportation option.
How is CalBike’s $10M e-bike campaign different from the E-BIKE Act?
CalBike’s campaign for a $10 million e-bike affordability program [link] will provide purchase incentives rather than tax credits. This is a critical distinction because it will give Californians money to buy an e-bike at the time of purchase. Our program will help low-income residents with grants they can use for upfront costs. The E-BIKE Act requires you to come up with the total cost to buy an e-bike; you won’t get the tax credit until the following tax filing season.
The California program can provide $1,000 grants to 10,000 new e-bike riders if the legislature fully funds it. The funding and the number of people who benefit will be capped until the legislature allocates additional money (which we hope they will, once they see the success of the initial program).
The E-BIKE Act tax credits, on the other hand, don’t have a spending cap. They will be available to as many taxpayers across the US as want to use them. Plus, Californians who don’t qualify for or aren’t able to get funding from the state program will still have a helping hand from the federal tax credit.
Two bills are better than one
CalBike will be working hard to pass our AB 117 and fully fund the California program. We will also support our national allies as they advocate to keep the E-BIKE Act strong.
With both programs in place, Californians may be able to combine a state purchase incentive with a federal tax credit to take up to $2,500 off the price of a new e-bike. That will make e-bikes a more affordable transportation option for many more Californians.
The E-BIKE Act is a promising sign of a new attitude about active transportation in D.C. We look forward to more progressive action to mitigate climate change, provide more transportation options, and improve communities.
