East Bay residents will soon enjoy new local electric bike programs

Programs will include e-Bike incentives and lending options to make use and ownership of e-Bikes simple and affordable

Oakland, CA (October 28, 2022) -Electric bikes, or e-Bikes, are quickly gaining popularity, especially in the bike-friendly climate of the East Bay. E-Bikes use rechargeable batteries that can be powered with clean, renewable electricity. Most e-Bikes typically travel up to 20 miles per hour for up to 40-50 miles. Accelerating adoption of e-Bikes provides an opportunity for low cost, energy efficient, and emission-free transportation that’s also fun and healthy.

To encourage adoption of e-Bikes, East Bay Community Energy (EBCE) is soliciting program design and implementation proposals for a three year, $6 million program. EBCE is the local not-for-profit community choice energy aggregation program that gives municipal, commercial, and residential accounts the opportunity to buy greener energy at low rates. The e-Bike program will have two elements: a $2 million e-Bike lending program and a $4 million e-Bike incentive program. The programs will be available across EBCE’s service territory of Alameda County and the City of Tracy, as well as in the City of Stockton which is taking EBCE service starting in 2024.

EBCE’s $6 million e-Bike program for residents throughout their service area follows the leadership of the State of California who is also preparing to launch a $10 million statewide low-income e-Bike incentive program.

Equitable access to the EBCE e-Bike program is a priority. While all of EBCE’s residential customers will be eligible for e-bike incentives and the lending program, EBCE is dedicating 40% of the incentive budget to support income-qualified customers who are on a CARE electricity rate. EBCE’s program administrator will also be required to develop an outreach plan that results in program engagement of low-income residents throughout its service area.

The purpose of also launching the e-Bike lending program is to provide an easy way for residents to test e-Bikes to see if they can meet their daily needs in an effort to reduce vehicle trips. EBCE also aims to help residents who check out an e-Bike through the lending program facilitate their purchase of an e-Bike by leveraging the incentive program. “When people try e-Bikes and see how fun, safe and easy they are to use, they become champions and quickly want to incorporate e-Bikes into their lives,” said JP Ross, EBCE’s Vice President of Local Development, Electrification and Innovation. “E-bikes aren’t for everyone, but their decreasing price and increasing range and features provides an emissions-free transportation option for a growing segment of EBCE customers.”

The Request for Proposals for EBCE’s Ride Electric ebike incentive program is available at ebce.org/solicitations and responses are due by 5:00 PM PT on January 6, 2023.

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About EBCE

East Bay Community Energy (EBCE) is a not-for-profit public agency that operates a Community Choice Energy program in the California Bay Area for Alameda County and fourteen incorporated cities, serving more than 1.7 million residential and commercial customers. EBCE initiated service in June 2018 and expanded to Tracy in neighboring San Joaquin County in 2021 and will expand service to Stockton in 2024. As one of 24 community choice aggregation (CCA) programs operating in California, EBCE is part of the movement to expedite the climate action goals of their communities and those of California. EBCE is committed to providing clean power at competitive rates while reinvesting in its local communities and offering innovative energy programs. For more information about East Bay Community Energy, visit ebce.org.