In the pursuit of transportation electrification, more and more people believe that the future of transportation is not four-wheeled, but two-wheeled. As electric bikes become more popular, enthusiasts are increasingly seeing them as a tool to reduce car traffic and air pollution, rather than just a fun new toy.
States, cities and utilities in the United States have begun to offer vouchers or discounts to help residents buy electric bikes. Some places are combining these programs with new efforts to expand bike lanes and connect bike corridors.
Denver's new program to provide discounts for electric bikes has been very popular. Denver residents can get discounts of $400 to $1,700 when they buy an electric bike. This month, the latest batch of 400 vouchers were snapped up by citizens in just minutes after they were posted on the city's portal. The program first started in April this year and is now in its fifth round. Even Grace Rink, Denver's chief climate officer, was surprised by the impact of the subsidy program and saw it as a way to help Denver achieve its climate goals and reduce air pollution. As local communities take more steps toward net-zero emissions goals, the city is increasingly being seen as a role model for the rest of the country.
Denver’s initiative stems from a 2020 ballot measure, when residents approved a 0.25% sales tax increase to provide $40 million in funding for climate action each year, aimed at moving the city toward its goal of net-zero emissions by 2040. When Climate Action, Sustainability, and CASR first launched the program, they received more than 3,000 applications in just a few weeks. Demand was so high that the city recalibrated its approach and now offers a limited number of discount vouchers on a monthly basis.
What makes Denver so unique? While only a handful of state and local programs offer e-bike subsidies nationwide, Denver’s program stands out for two reasons. First, the vouchers are scalable, with the largest benefits reserved for the lowest-income individuals. Income eligibility is a key part of the program because it incorporates climate action. Another important feature is the city’s partnership with local retailers, which also gives the vouchers additional discounts at designated points of sale, helping to ensure that the bike vouchers incentivize recipients to keep money flowing in the local economy.
Denver’s plan won’t work perfectly for every city, however. Increased investment in infrastructure, including building and maintaining bike lanes and places to safely and legally park bikes, is essential to making e-bikes more attractive and safer as a regular means of transportation, but it also comes with high infrastructure costs; even a one-mile bike lane can cost millions of dollars. But considering that transportation is the second-largest source of emissions in a city like Denver, where 75% of cars “are driven by one person alone” and “most commutes are within six miles of home,” the costs are worth it.
Regarding how to quickly and effectively reduce emissions within cities, we can confidently answer that e-bikes offer the best return on investment in addressing this problem. SAMEBIKE’s e-bikes feature a lithium battery-powered motor that assists the rider while riding. Mazu includes riding needs such as commuting, leisure, off-roading, touring, and freight, allowing a wider range of people to make more and longer trips, and helping to reduce traffic and emissions from traditional cars, and its price is also very attractive.
We believe that e-bikes have great potential to replace car travel and provide people with more travel options. Electric bicycles are a game changer that can break the dependence on cars, provide travel opportunities for people who cannot afford cars, and facilitate sustainable transportation for people.
