In Denver, Americans are adopting the electric bike en masse

(ETX Daily Up) – Colorado’s capital, Denver, launched a massive voucher program aimed at low-income earners last spring to entice them to buy an e-bike. Six months later, the experiment turned out to be a real success.

The program’s maximum threshold of four million dollars was reached in just six months, a sign that demand was particularly strong. Basically, this program was indeed planned to last three years. More than 4,000 vouchers, ranging from $400 to $1,200 depending on income, have already been redeemed at local bike shops, according to the Fast Company website. Note that all types of electric bikes are concerned by this offer, including cargo. Given this success, a new campaign should be on the agenda next year.

This measure is part of a larger rebate program dedicated to combating climate change, since, like many large cities, Denver aims to achieve carbon neutrality in the medium term, by 2040. This means fewer cars in circulation and therefore the daily use of alternative means of transport. However, Americans are culturally less adept at soft mobility than Europeans, for example. According to the 2023 Cetelem Automotive Observatory, one in three motorists worldwide (34%) uses a bicycle rather than their car for certain short journeys. But Americans are among those with the lowest scores (20%, compared to 40% in France). The example of Denver shows that financial aid can be a real trigger for many of them.

To go hand in hand with the incentive to use this soft mobility, the infrastructures have been greatly improved in recent years. Denver thus has 200 km of cycle paths today, to circulate safely by bicycle.

As a reminder, in France, you may be entitled, under certain conditions, to a conversion bonus when buying an electrically assisted bicycle if you want it to replace your car. For any other occasion, you can also benefit from the bicycle bonus, depending on your income.