On April 1, 2024, all people living in Colorado will be eligible for a $450 point-of-sale discount when purchasing an electric bike at certain bike shops.
To get the discount, people only need to show proof of address, according to the Colorado Energy Office, which is overseeing the program. Unlike last year, people will not have to apply for the discount through a lottery. The purchase must be made at a participating bike shop. At least two retailers in Boulder — University Bicycles and Front Range Cargo Bikes — are participating in the program and providing the discounts.
The state discount program is the result of a 2023 law sponsored by Rep. Junie Joseph and Senate President Steve Fenberg, both representing the City of Boulder.
Last year, the City of Boulder offered rebates to buy an e-bike, but demand for the discount far exceeded available funding. The goal was to encourage more people to get out of their vehicles and onto bikes in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and toxic ozone-forming pollution.
The city is planning to issue e-bike rebates again this year, a city official said. The details of the program are still in the works.
“Based on the success of last year’s incentives, we currently intend to offer another similar round of incentives this year,” Aisha Ozaslan, a spokeswoman for the city, told Boulder Reporting Lab in an email. “We are still working to determine details, including timing and the number of vouchers that will be available, and aim to provide additional updates to the community later this spring.”
Under the state e-bike discount program, bike shops are required to provide the discount up-front and get reimbursed when they file their taxes. Cycling advocates have said this makes it difficult for smaller shops to participate in the program. The Colorado Department of Revenue is developing a process to allow shops to be reimbursed for the discount quarterly starting in the 2025 tax year, according to the Colorado Energy Office.
This bill misses the mark by far. Ebikes are really expensive and $450 will just allow more financially well off people to buy more. Even if there is still the stipulation that you can’t already own one, it’s just self-report. I could buy a used car for less than the cost of an ebike with the discount. The discount should be correlated to income – the lower the income the higher the discount. That’s would take effort, though. We are forever just nibbling around the edges in Colorado.
“I could buy a used car for less than the cost of an ebike with the discount.”
Do you have data that supports this statement? A quick search of “used car cost versus e-bike costs” reveals that used car prices far exceed e-bike costs. And we haven’t even touched on externalities like the resources and space that are taken up to fuel, drive, park, and maintain cars nor the increased pollution as a result of gas combustion, significantly more rubber wear and run-off compared to bikes, etc.
More people on bikes and fewer people in cars benefits everyone.
Agree as usual Roxanne.
To the above commenters – there are plenty of inexpensive options out there. For example, here’s a quality well-reviewed commuter e-bike backed by a US-based company for $999:
https://www.aventon.com/products/soltera-2-ebike
With the new discount that’s $500 for a solid e-bike. As long as you can find a bike shop willing to sell it with the Colorado discount.
Lots more options here:
https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/topics/biking/best-budget-electric-bike
https://www.bicycling.com/bikes-gear/a25602653/cheap-electric-bikes/
I was recently offered a used Honda for $1200. Hard to pass that up. I agree more people on bikes is good but think about people living in apartment complexes around the city, for example. I’m talking affordable housing especially. Ever tried to haul an ebike up several flights of stairs? There are so many obstacles to riding a bike everywhere for most people. If you don’t live in a 15 minute neighborhood, it’s a long drawn out affair just to do grocery shopping and run a few errands. Then there’s the snow, ice, and extreme heat half the year. You have to be well outfitted for those extremes. For the young and strong, it may make sense, but Boulder is rapidly aging and no one seems to take that into account. Not every one comes here to rock climb and ride bikes long distances on a regular basis. We have more work to do in this town than people are even considering.
The bikes that are under a grand are great, i just bought one at REI, and so i’m totally disappointed you have to buy the bike from certain bike shops! they don’t offer the inexpensive bikes! seems like it’s benefiting the retailers. i can ride into Boulder from Longmont now! and i want the rebate, just bought it this week.
Certainly better than those ill-conceived lotteries. It’s good that full suspension and bikes over $5k are excluded, but they should have limited it to Class 1. Class 2 and above – which don’t even require pedaling and go even faster – are mopeds/motorcycles and too dangerous on our supposedly non-motorized singletrack and bike paths.