Berkeley, California
Electric Bike Rebates and Tax Credits

The City of Berkeley has awarded Waterside Workshops a $250,000 grant to create an electric bike (or “e-bike”) access program that will provide e-bikes to income-qualified Berkeley households. Additionally, Waterside will offer training and safety lessons for program participants, and will collect information on e-bike usage to help inform future climate equity actions.

Berkeley could soon offer rebates on electric bikes right at the register in an effort to reduce the city’s carbon emissions. If it passes, the city would provide up-front rebates for e-bikes next year, which means buyers would get a discount when they make their purchase. Low-income residents would qualify for larger rebates. The rebates could be matched by similar ones funded by the California Air Resources Board and East Bay Community Energy Program that are set to take effect next year, providing steeper discounts to Berkeley residents. The item recommends that the city devote $500,000 to the rebate program.

The Berkeley E-Bike Equity Project (BEEP) will provide electric bikes (e-bikes) to income-qualified Berkeley households for their long-term use. If selected for the program, participants will receive an e-bike for one year with the possibility of keeping the e-bike after the project ends. Participants will pay a $100 security deposit when they receive their e-bike, which will be refunded at the end of the one-year program if the participant fully participates in the program. If paying a deposit is a barrier to participation, a limited number of applicants may complete four volunteer hours in lieu of a deposit.

BART offers a variety of discounts for ebike riders, including discounted fares for ebike riders and discounts for ebike parking. BART also offers rebates for ebike purchases and subsidies for ebike infrastructure. BART is also working to improve access to ebike charging stations at BART stations.