California Could Give You Up To $2,000 For an E-Bike — Applications Now Open

A new multimillion-dollar state fund is offering Californians up to $2,000 each to buy a brand new electric bicycle, if they qualify — and applications opened on Wednesday at 6 p.m. PT.

The California E-Bike Incentive Project will provide $7.5 million to help lower- and middle-income families buy an e-bike, which can help riders cover long distances faster for journeys like commutes and makes it easier to transport young kids or groceries.

• Jump straight to: How to apply for California’s e-bike vouchers

The program, from the California Air Resources Board (CARB), offers $1,750 in vouchers to each qualifying individual — along with an extra $250 if they meet additional income requirements. The voucher can be used at hundreds of participating e-bike retailers all over the state to cover the cost of an e-bike, with the program covering a wide range of e-bikes to match the needs of each rider.

State officials say that by helping thousands of Californians buy their own e-bike, the program will give more people access to a no-emissions mode of getting around that fits their lifestyle — especially if they don’t have access to dependable public transportation or the capacity to ride a regular bicycle every day. “Bicycles are a great climate change-fighting tool,” said Kendra Ramsey, executive director of the California Bicycle Coalition, which supports the voucher program.

However, only 1,500 vouchers will be given out during this first round of applications, or about 10% of the total money that will be given out. “More vouchers will be released in subsequent application windows,” Ramsey told KQED Forum. “If someone doesn’t get in this time, they will still have other opportunities.” So, in order to get a voucher during this round, Ramsey recommends “folks go to the site before [Wednesday], find out what they need to apply and have that information all ready.”

Keep reading for everything you need to know about applying for California’s e-bike voucher program once applications have opened on Wednesday evening, including who qualifies for the money, how applications work and what kinds of e-bikes can be purchased.

Who is eligible to apply for an e-bike voucher?

There are only two requirements to apply for the voucher program starting Wednesday, Dec. 18 at 6 p.m:

• You must be a California resident 18 years of age or older.
• You must report a household income of 300% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) or less.

In order to meet the residency requirement, you’ll just need a state ID. While for the income requirement, keep in mind that the program takes into account how many people are in your household, including your spouse, kids, parents or roommates. You can check if you qualify using this chart below from CARB:

There are many ways to prove your income when completing the application. The preferred way is to upload your IRS tax transcript, a document that includes only the most essential information you’ll find on your 1040. To access your IRS tax transcript, you’ll need to make an IRS Individual Online Account at irs.gov.

You can also upload other types of documents for this requirement, including:

• Your W-2 or pay stubs for the past three months.
• A 1099 if you are self-employed.
• An award letter confirming you’re unemployed and are receiving benefits from a state or federal agency.

(And while there is a whole list of documents you can provide to check off this requirement [PDF], you just need to provide one.)

If you intend to apply, make sure you have this information ready before applications open at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 18. Once applications are open, you will be assigned a queue number, said Ramsey from the California Bicycle Coalition.

That number, she explained, “is in the order [you] entered the site.” So the sooner you get started on your application, higher are the chances you’ll make it to the first 1,500 vouchers awarded.

Once I’ve submitted my application, can I get my e-bike?

Not yet. Once CARB has your application, they’ll take several weeks to process it and let you know if you’ve been selected for the first round of vouchers — or if there’s anything missing from your materials. According to the agency, this process could take up to 60 days, so it’s very likely that you won’t have a new e-bike in time for the holidays.

If everything looks good on your application and you’re chosen to receive a voucher, you’ll soon receive information through the email you provided that explains how to make your purchase.

I’m eligible and submitted an application but wasn’t awarded the voucher. Why?

If you weren’t chosen this time around, it’s likely you turned in your application by the time the first 1,500 vouchers were given out.

But if you weren’t lucky this time around, remember: more vouchers will be given out every 2–3 months until program funding runs out.

If I do get a voucher, can I buy an e-bike wherever I want?

Not necessarily. The program has a list of hundreds of bike shops, athletic stores and other businesses all over California that are approved retailers for the program. You can find a store that’s closest to you using this map and see what’s available, including approved home delivery, based on your zip code.

Not all bikes at an approved retailer are included in the program, as your voucher only covers the cost of three types of e-bikes:

• Class 1–3 e-bikes, with top speeds of 28 miles per hour.
• Cargo e-bikes.
• Adaptive e-bikes (adult electric trikes, handcycles, recumbents, wheelchair tandems).

Check out the full list of requirements for the e-bike you choose. But don’t worry: “You don’t need to know which e-bike you want when you apply,” Ramsey said.

There are many different types of e-bikes, and while some focus on speed or sleek design, other e-bikes are designed to help specific needs of parents, delivery workers, older adults and people with disabilities. When buying an e-bike, let folks at the store know all the different ways you foresee using it so they can help you decide the model that’s best for your lifestyle.

This guide includes reporting from KQED’s Mina Kim. An earlier version of this guide originally published on Dec. 14.