The California Air Resource Board (CARB) has informed SABA and other community-based organizations that they are ending the California E-Bike Incentive Project (EBIP) despite overwhelming demand.

The EBIP offered California residents who met the project’s income limits $1750-$2000 towards the purchase of a new Class 1, 2 or 3 e-bike, trike, or other adaptive cycle. CARB has decided to shutter the program and use the remaining funds for their Clean Cars 4 All program. CARB oversaw Pedal Ahead, the program administrator, spending just shy of 13 million dollars on a program that was expected to launch in fall/winter 2023 but was repeatedly delayed and delivered approximately 3,000 e-bikes, far fewer e-bikes than the 15,000 e-bikes it had promised. Over 100,000 people attempted to apply for the few vouchers available during each of the two application windows. With 18 million dollars still available to the program, there was an opportunity for CARB to right the ship by selecting a new program administrator and improving the project’s operational efficiency. Instead, they will dedicate the remaining funds to their Clean Cars 4 All program (CC4A).

The EBIP was designed to provide California residents affordable and sustainable mobility without the ongoing financial burden of car ownership. Unlike electric vehicle incentives, which tie low-income households to costly expenses like car payments, insurance, maintenance, and charging, the EBIP would have empowered people with a low cost, environmentally friendly transportation option and encourage a shift away from car dependent infrastructure at a fraction of the cost of an EV incentive. CC4A requires that applicants scrap an automobile that is fifteen years old, that they have owned and operated in California for at least two years to receive money towards the purchase of a plug-in hybrid, electric or fuel cell vehicle. The program added the option to receive $7,500 towards the purchase of an e-bike (or multiple e-bikes) in 2024 but almost no one in the Sacramento region has chosen that option. Owning a car that meets the scrap requirement in CC4A eliminates many low-income households who are in greatest need of a mobility subsidy. CC4A was designed to get older, higher polluting vehicles off the road but it does not serve the same people that the EBIP was intended to help.

While promoting the EBIP, SABA helped people apply for these funds who were dependent on our underfunded, inefficient, and unreliable public transportation system. For these community members, an e-bike would have meant greater self-sufficiency by simplifying their daily commutes and saving them money that could be better spent on other basic needs like housing, food, childcare, and education. The automotive and insurance industries benefit the most from these funds being moved to CC4A and California residents in historically disadvantaged communities for whom the EBIP was intended to serve, pay the price.

SABA remains committed to promoting e-bikes as a more environmentally friendly means of transportation than electric cars. We have pilot projects in the works to bring an e-bike incentive program to Sacramento and are actively seeking partners to help make that a reality. We hope to share more information with you as we make progress towards that goal.

If you would like to share your feedback about the EBIP with CARB, email Ebikeincentives@arb.ca.gov.

Until next time,

The E-Bike Experience Team
Sacramento Area Bike Advocates