New York e-bike rebate would cut electric bike prices by 50%

Live in New York and need to purchase an electric bike or e-scooter? A proposed e-bike incentive might cut the value in half, saving you over a thousand {dollars} with a purchase order rebate.

New York e-bike rebate

That’s the thought behind State Senator Julia Salazar’s bill, which would offset 50% of the acquisition value of a brand new electric bicycle or electric scooter.

The incentive would be capped at $1,100, which means any e-bike over $2,200 would nonetheless solely qualify for a rebate of $1,100.

This marks main progress for New York, a state that solely legalized e-bikes in NYC two years in the past.

The one paragraph invoice creates what’s known as the Ride Clean rebate and is modeled after the Drive Clean program for electric vehicles within the state that has operated for years.

The invoice is gentle on particulars and has no limitations based mostly on space of residence or revenue stage. Included within the rebate are class 1, 2, and three electric bicycles that may attain as much as 28 mph (45 km/h) with as much as 750 watts (1 hp) of energy.

Electric scooters are additionally listed as eligible, however no pace or energy restrictions are famous for electric scooters. There can be no wording clarifying whether or not the motivation applies to standing electric scooters (like these used by shared mobility operators akin to Bird) or Vespa-style seated electric scooters.

The proposed New York rebate comes shortly after a proposed nationwide e-bike tax credit score was scrapped from the climate-focused insurance policies included within the Inflation Reduction Act.

As Senator Salazar explained:

“When the federal government falls short it really does fall on the state to step up and take responsibility.”

Vermont grew to become the primary state to supply a state-level electric bicycle buy incentive, and New York may very well be subsequent.

The invoice handed within the New York State Senate with a 60-3 vote, however stalled within the Assembly after getting caught in committee since earlier this 12 months.

Some state politicians have expressed hope that the invoice will progress within the subsequent session, having fun with the identical widespread help it garnered when it flew by the State Senate.

Electrek’s Take

These are precisely the sorts of applications that states must be implementing. When the federal authorities can’t get it finished, it ought to occur domestically.

Denver additionally undertook its personal e-bike incentive that grew to become massively widespread, underscoring simply how a lot demand there may be for these kind of native e-bike rebates.

As somebody who travels in my metropolis virtually completely by two wheels, I’m keenly conscious of simply how pivotal e-bikes and e-scooters are to altering the transportation panorama. Making them extra reasonably priced is step one to getting drivers out of vehicles and onto extra sustainable, extra space environment friendly and more healthy types of transportation.

When an e-bike prices a number of thousand {dollars}, it’s simple to disregard it as a viable choice. But when that very same e-bike will get its value cut in half, the equation is modified for therefore many extra individuals. Rad Power Bike’s fanciest $1,999 electric bike is out of the blue yours for beneath a thousand bucks. Or an already low-priced $799 Lectric XP Lite e-bike is in your storage for $400. That’s fairly superb and critically opens the door to decrease revenue commuters that may’t afford larger e-bike prices.

I’ve written extensively up to now about how simple it’s to get out of the four-wheeled field and substitute a lot of your native journeys with e-bikes.

And it’s not simply e-bikes, both. Electric bikes. Electric mopeds. Electric scooters. Electric skateboards. I personal all of them and I take advantage of them on a regular basis for my very own private transportation. Each one value me a mere fraction of a Tesla or no matter fancy electric automotive you’re listening to about as we speak. And every certainly one of them will get me across the metropolis quicker, utilizing much less vitality, for much less cash, and with an even bigger smile on my face once I arrive.

This will be you, too. And with extra native incentive applications, that may turn into simpler than ever.

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