On Thursday, May 29, California will offer a second round of vouchers intended to help income-eligible residents buy electric bicycles.
Up to 1,000 people will be awarded vouchers worth between $1,750 and $2,000 that can be redeemed at approved retailers toward pre-selected e-bike models, according to the California Air Resources Board, which is administering the California E-bike Incentive Project. This is the second round of the program, which has already given out more than $2 million in vouchers, according to CARB.
“The California Legislature approved funding for the project to help reduce cost barriers to e-bike technology that can help replace car trips, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and lower transportation costs for Californians with low incomes,” CARB said in a news release.
For the chance to apply this round, you must enter CARB’s online waiting room between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. on May 29.
“All individuals who enter the waiting room by 6 p.m. will be placed in the queue in random order and have an equal opportunity to access a limited number of applications,” CARB said.
To apply, you must be over 18 years old and have a household income no more than 300% of the federal poverty level. Be prepared to verify your income with the required documentation when you apply.
The window for this round of applications was originally supposed to open on April 29, but technical problems forced it to be postponed. CARB said the application website “experienced a high volume of traffic and detected suspicious activity,” which knocked the site offline.
“While the website resumed normal operation shortly after, the decision to reschedule was made to ensure fairness and access for all interested Californians,” according to CARB.
To try to make sure the May 29 date goes smoothly, CARB said it’s hired two industry-leading firms, Akamai Technologies and Queue-it, to manage the visitor traffic and application waiting room.
CARB expects to award a third round of e-bike vouchers in 2026.