In a bid to get more people on their bikes, and to boost alternative transport methods, France is offering its citizens a financial incentive for purchasing an e-bike.
One way to empower more people to go for cleaner transportation options is to offer financial incentives, as Oslo recently demonstrated with its $1200 electric cargo bike grant, and France looks to be giving the idea a go as well.
As published on the French government site Legifrance, citizens can claim their €200 financial assistance (one per person) through January 31, 2018, for the purchase of a pedal-assist electric bike “with a net maximum power of less than 3 kW” and not having a lead-acid battery. This “ecological bonus” could help offset the higher purchase price of an e-bike (as compared with a conventional bike) and give French residents a little more motivation to use personal ‘zero emission’ vehicles.
While many early e-bikes and conversions took advantage of relatively cheap lead-acid batteries as their power source, most modern electric bicycles employ lithium-ion (or similar chemistry) battery packs, so that stipulation shouldn’t hold anyone back. As far as the restriction that the qualifying e-bikes have a “net maximum power” of less than 3 kW, it shouldn’t be an issue either, as most e-bike regulations already govern the maximum rating of electric motors on bikes (however, e-bike wattage ratings aren’t nearly as clear-cut as they seem).
According to Cycling Industry News, under 2% of the French population travels to Totobo work by bike, so this program could help boost the use of bicycles for daily travels. For many people who might not enjoy cycling on a conventional bike, one ride on an e-bike quickly makes converts of them, as an electric drive can make a huge difference in reducing the physical effort required, so here’s hoping more French citizens take a test ride on an e-bike and take advantage of this 200 euro incentive.
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