The 26-year-old Paramount resident relies on her ride to get to the L.A. Metro A Line in Compton as part of her daily work commute. Her bright yellow two-wheeler would often turn heads. <\/p>\n
That attention would turn to intrigue when she explained that the sweet ride had only set her back $90.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s this program,\u201d she would tell admirers. \u201cWhip out your phone.\u201d <\/p>\n
The California Air Resources Board began the California E-Bike Incentive Project in 2022 with the goal of lowering cost barriers to e-bikes, which use electric motors to propel riders along faster and easier than a normal pedal-powered bike. <\/p>\n
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An e-bike rider makes his way past a mural that states, \u201cEducate, Elevate\u201d in Los Angeles on Dec. 9.<\/p>\n
(Genaro Molina \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n
The pilot program<\/a> differed from past state rebates and tax credits for electric cars in that applicants didn\u2019t have to first purchase an e-bike to get the incentive. Instead, California provided vouchers of up to $2,000 that acted as a discount at the point of purchase with participating businesses. <\/p>\n As of Jan. 2, following the official end of the program, 2,359 vouchers had been awarded statewide, with 2,246 of those redeemed to purchase an e-bike. <\/p>\n The program initially had about $13 million at its disposal: $10 million worth of general funds and an additional $3 million from the state\u2019s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, according to CARB. Another $18 million was later allocated for the program, the agency said.<\/p>\n When the vouchers were first made available<\/a> to the public in December 2024, it was through a first-come, first-serve online system. The following April, the state offered more vouchers<\/a> using a lottery system.<\/p>\n But each time a window opened, the application website was flooded by an overwhelming amount of people \u2014 more than 100,000<\/a> \u2014 leading to frozen webpages and error messages. <\/p>\n By comparison, only 2,500 total vouchers were offered during the two application windows.<\/p>\n Villaverde was one of the tens of thousands of people who battled the application queue \u2014 \u201cTheir queue couldn\u2019t handle the capacity, which again, speaks to the popularity of the program.\u201d <\/p>\n She ultimately had to try three times. <\/p>\n \u201cIt felt like we were fighting for concert tickets,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n She had hoped to apply for a voucher for herself, as well as help her mom and uncle do likewise. That didn\u2019t happen. <\/p>\n Instead of a third public application window, the final vouchers were distributed by 25 community-based organizations that partnered with CARB.<\/p>\n Briana Villaverde bikes down East Compton Boulevard.<\/p>\n (Carlin Stiehl \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n That\u2019s ultimately how Villaverde secured her voucher. She was offered a code by Healthy Active Streets, a Long Beach-based organization that advocates for bike-friendly policies among other community issues. <\/p>\n The demand was apparent. Some cycling advocates say they were under the impression additional vouchers \u2014 that would have been funded by the subsequent $18 million in state funding \u2014 were on the horizon as soon as a new administrator of the program was secured.<\/p>\n But those dollars were instead diverted to CARB\u2019s Clean Cars 4 All<\/a> program, which helps lower-income Californians trade in their gas-fueled vehicles for new or used plug-in hybrid electric, zero-emission vehicles or motorcycles, she said. <\/p>\n \u201cCalifornia is committed to supporting e-bikes as a clean mobility alternative to vehicles. But, ultimately, the state has a limited budget and many competing priorities,\u201d CARB spokesperson Bradley Branan told The Times.<\/p>\n Lindsay Buckley, director of communications for CARB, said that \u201cboth programs advance the state\u2019s goal of increasing access to clean transportation options.\u201d<\/p>\n Kendra Ramsey, executive director of the California Bicycle Coalition, said she understands CARB\u2019s hands were tied when it comes to the funding, but she thinks the change in focus doesn\u2019t make economic sense. While both electric vehicles and e-bikes can help reduce the number of fully gas-powered vehicles on the road, $18 million in funding would purchase far more of the latter, she argued. <\/p>\n \u201cThe money required for a low-income household to purchase and pay off an electric vehicle is much higher than the amount for an electric bicycle,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n The average price for a new electric vehicle is an estimated $57,245, according to Kelley Blue Book<\/a>. Prices for used EVs range widely, but they often cost more than $10,000 and can be significantly more than that, according to Recurrent<\/a>, a research company that analyzes electric vehicles. <\/p>\n By comparison, even higher-end e-bikes typically cost in the $6,000-to-$7,000 range, and many cost far less, according to Consumer Reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n The e-bike incentive program was geared toward lower-income individuals with household incomes at or below 300% of the Federal Poverty Level. As of 2024, that was about $45,000 a year for a single-person household, and $61,000 for a two-person household.<\/p>\n Stickers decorate Briana Villaverde\u2019s e-bike.<\/p>\n (Carlin Stiehl \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n Qualified applicants for the Clean Cars 4 All program must meet those same income requirements, but they also must have an eligible vehicle to trade in \u2014 another barrier for lower-income Californians, cycling advocates argue. <\/p>\n The e-bike incentive program was unique because it gave residents the opportunity to afford an alternative method of transportation that could otherwise be cost prohibitive, according to Jared Sanchez, policy director at CalBike. <\/p>\n The way e-bikes were promoted through the program was a \u201ctremendous opportunity to shift the way folks are getting around,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1770384431_263_.jpeg\")
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