Californians still hoping to get a state voucher to pay for an electric bike this holiday were greeted with seven unwanted words: “We are no longer accepting incentive applications. “
That’s the message the California Air Resources Board posted Friday on its e-bike incentive allocation webpage after citizens flooded the company with applications, leaving some disappointed and with the process.
The program began accepting online programs at 6 p. m. Wednesday. Within forty-five minutes, the application window closed after approximately 100,000 programs were submitted, according to the Air Resources Board.
Some applicants complained that they couldn’t log in just minutes after this window opened. Some posted screenshots on social media showing estimated wait times exceeding an hour.
Others said the application procedure froze or produced error messages.
Lys Mendez, the council’s director of communications, said a full team dealt with the application process, which included testing and checking for technical issues.
He said the problems may have arisen if other people had multiple devices under a single IP address, did not refresh the online page correctly or if their browsers were outdated.
“We were also staffing a helpline, and people who followed our advice on the above after speaking with the representative reported being able to get into the queue,” Mendez said.
The Air Resources Board says more application windows will be announced in the coming days.
Mendez said the board would apply the lessons learned in this statement to long-term bidding opportunities.
“The first release cycle demonstrates a call for a transportation choice bureaucracy and a preference for using cleaner mobility options,” Méndez said.
In announcing the program, the air resources board said vouchers would be available to provide as much as $2,000 toward the purchase of an e-bike — a bicycle that includes an on-board electric motor to help make pedaling easier.
The board had said in the past that the program would start with $3 million, with the goal of offering vouchers for the purchase of 1,500 electric bikes.
The goal is to reduce costs for citizens, with the hope of reducing vehicle and ultimately greenhouse gas emissions.
The price of electric motorcycles varies. On average, they charge around $2,000, some models can charge more than $6,000, according to outdoor recreation store REI. Consumers deserve to avoid incredibly cheap electric motorcycles, which are arguably of lower quality, according to Consumer Reports.
“By employing e-bikes, other people can get around and fulfill their daily desires while getting better air quality,” Steven Cliff, executive director of the Air Resources Council, said in early December. “Prioritizing equity and access is imperative as we aim to achieve our net-zero goals, and this incentive program will help those efforts by helping make e-bikes part of the solution. “
Applications were open to California citizens 18 years of age and older whose source of annual household income was at or below three hundred percent of the federal poverty level. For example, to be eligible, a family of only one child earns no more than $45,000 per year and a family of two children earns no more than $61,000.
Applicants whose source of income is at or below 225% of the federal poverty line received priority on the list of candidates, according to the Air Resources Board. This translates to a single circle of family members earning no more than $33,000 and a circle of family income sources of two members earning no more than $45,000.
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