Government efforts to promote the sales of e-bikes through financial incentives take various guises; in France you can trade in your old car for €2,500 towards a new e-bike whilst in the UK the Cycle to Work program is a tax incentive that gives a tax rebate to employees using the purchased bike or e-bike to cycle to work. There are many more examples from around the world, including some that specifically promote financial incentives for e-cargo bikes.
Whilst these are all very welcome, they are all aimed at promoting e-bike sale to solve a particular problem and so will only be available to a certain segment of the population; those with old cars or those in employment cycling to work etc. But the proposed US E-BIKE Act we look at again this week could just be one of the most wide-ranging government incentive initiatives – if it comes to pass – as it will apply to all US taxpayers. If it does succeed it will be a massive boost for the cause of e-bikes in the US.
In this week’s news:
- 30% e-bike tax credit Senate bill introduced
- Raleigh UK launches two new e-bikes
- Greyp T5 e-SUV – the ultimate high-tech trekking e-bike?
- Bamboo e-cargo prototype from My Boo
- Trek sustainability report and trail funding
- Superpedestrian claims radical new pavement safety tech
- E-bike four-wheeler firms in trouble