Colorado Bike Shops Slow to Join E-Bike Rebate Program

Prospective e-bike buyers in Colorado may not be able to take advantage of a state rebate program at many of their local bike shops, reports Sam Brasch for Colorado Public Radio.

Some bike shops are opting out of the program because they don’t get reimbursed for the $450 point-of-sale rebate until they file their taxes. “A list assembled by the Colorado Energy Office shows only 24 bike sellers are guaranteed to honor the rebates. That means residents could struggle to redeem the discount at local bike shops and major online retailers after the program launches next week,” Brasch explains.

A program manager from the Colorado Energy Office, which administers the program, says by next year the state will have mechanisms in place to reimburse shops quarterly rather than annually.

Colorado has largely been a success story for e-bike rebates. In Denver, the city’s e-bike vouchers got snatched up by residents almost as soon as they were released. “The state’s new e-bike tax credit is a long-term bet on the climate strategy. Approved through a law signed by Gov. Jared Polis last year, the program will run from April 2024 through the end of 2032 and cost the state an estimated $120 million.”