California E-Bike Rebate Demand Far Exceeds Supply

The California Air Resources Board (CARB)’s new e-bike incentive program launched with “no technical issues,” but the 1,500 vouchers were snapped up within minutes due to high demand, according to the agency.

As Melanie Curry explains in Streetsblog California, the long-awaited program only made 1,500 vouchers available, while the queue on the CARB website at one point reached 100,000. “People who tried to apply were frustrated that there was a lot of waiting, with little communication about that wait, and were surprised that the window to apply closed abruptly about forty minutes into the launch, leaving many people out.”

As Curry notes, CARB could have communicated more effectively about the timing of the application and the documentation required. However, the larger problem is the small number of vouchers available. Demand for e-bikes is encouraging — and the state could support it by expanding the program. “Note as well that California invests far more in incentives for electric cars than in cheaper, cleaner, more efficient, healthier, and much less damaging e-bikes.”