If You Live in France, You Could Get Paid to Swap a Car for an E-Bike
If you live in France, you may be able to actually make money by buying an e-bike—if you're willing to trade in your old car. According to The Times, the incentive for trading in a gas-guzzling car for an e-bike if you live in a city will increase to 4,000 Euros. This is just one of the ways that France is combatting climate change in coming years, while also cracking down on other higher-ticket pollutants including private jet usage.
However, not everyone will automatically be eligible to get 4,000 Euros towards their new bikes. The Times' notes that the full incentive will only be given to those in lower income brackets, and who also live in 'low-emission urban zones.' Lesser subsidies are available for higher income brackets, and if someone is unwilling to trade in a car when you buy a bike, they'll only get 400 Euros.
This also isn't a new incentive, just an improvement on an already-existing subsidy. Last year, the government introduced a 2,500 Euro subsidy for anyone trading in a gas-powered car and buying a new e-bike. But with rising prices, a heftier incentive makes the swap more palatable. Considering most families considering making the swap to a greener, cleaner lifestyle would require purchasing an e-cargo bike to make up for how they used a gas-powered vehicle, 4,000 Euros seems reasonable. (For example, the Yuba Spicy Curry cargo bike starts at $5,200.)
Prefer to produce your own non-electric assist power? The subsidy also covered plain old pedal bikes, so if you're living in France and prefer to crank out your own watts, you're still eligible.
Electrek also notes that many other countries in Europe are increasing cash incentives for biking instead of driving. The French program was based off of a successful program already running in Lithuania. Belgium and the Netherlands have increased their bike-to-work incentive programs, and Great Britain now has a lease-to-own incentive program. And many of these countries (and particularly, their city centers) are improving bike infrastructure to make riding to work, school and everyday errands an easier, safer and more pleasant experience.
Hopefully, this trend will start popping up more often in U.S. city centers.
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