Sen. Daughtry introduces bill to add e-bikes to the electric vehicle rebate program
AUGUSTA — On Tuesday, Feb. 7, Sen. Mattie Daughtry, D-Brunswick, introduced LD 256, “An Act to Add Electric Bicycles to the Electric Vehicle Rebate Program,” before the Joint Standing Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology. LD 26 would amend Efficiency Maine’s electric vehicle rebate program to include electric bicycles, commonly known as “e-bikes.”
“We want to encourage more people to consider commuting by e-bike — instead of a gas-powered vehicle. Gas-powered vehicles remain the highest sources of greenhouse gas emissions in Maine,” said Sen. Daughtry. “E-bikes can help us reduce the number of vehicle miles traveled, which will aid in reducing Maine’s carbon footprint and protecting our natural resources for generations to come.”
Some states already offer an e-bike rebate program, including Vermont in New England. The VT eBike Incentive Program offers rebates up to $400 for the purchase of an e-bike. More locally, the City of South Portland launched an e-bike rebate program as part of the City’s Electrify Everything Program. For residents who earn up to 100 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI), they can qualify for a $300 rebate on an e-bike or a $500 rebate on a cargo e-bike. The City of Portland also is developing an e-bike rebate program that will launch later this year.
Efficiency Maine currently offers instant and mail-in rebates for qualifying battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) at participating dealers or when the vehicles are purchased directly from the manufacturer. There are purchaser and vehicle eligibility criteria. To learn more, go to efficiencymaine.com/electric-vehicle-rebates.
“E-bikes provide effective, reliable transportation within a 5-10 mile radius of a person’s home, which is the range that more than 75 percent of car trips fall within in Maine,” Jim Tasse of the Bicycle Coalition of Maine, the leading statewide organization advocating for access to active transportation for all pedestrians and people on bicycles, wrote in his testimony. “Broadly speaking, an e-bike rebate program would make this technology more available to more people, and could help low income folks in particular achieve mobility goals at a much lower cost than car ownership.”
Rep. Dan Ankeles, D-Brunswick, who also testified in support of LD 256, said, “This bill gives more people access to a relatively low-cost option compared to a car. And with our workforce shortage in so many sectors, every little bit helps. You’ll hear from others behind me that people trying to stretch every dollar could make some real use of this [rebate].”
LD 256 now faces further action in committee.
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