The City of Charlottesville has quietly launched a new pilot program to grant residents money for new electric bikes.
The $1,000 “mini grants” will be distributed to 25 people every three months in 2025 — and anyone interested in applying for round one has until the end of the day Friday, Jan. 31 to sign up. Any city resident over the age of 18 are eligible, apart from city employees.
The goal of the program is to quickly get more people using e-bikes to commute, reducing carbon emissions and traffic in the city, according to the program’s website.
With this pilot program, the city’s plan is to distribute $100,000 to 100 city residents in 2025, said Thomas Safranek, the city’s bike and pedestrian coordinator. Those selected can use their $1,000 vouchers to offset the cost of a new e-bike at three participating local stores: Endeavor Cycles, Blue Ridge Cyclery and Blue Wheel.
E-bikes can cost between about $1,500 and $4,000.
E-bikes differ from traditional pedal bicycles in that they are designed for comfort and commuting. They are heavier, have a sturdier build and come with a motorized throttle that can be turned on and off to help the rider reach higher speeds — typically 20 to 25 mph.
The ability to quickly accelerate and maintain those speeds not only makes the bikes easier to use, but also safer on the road, Mark McLewee, co-owner of Blue Wheel Bikes, told Charlottesville Tomorrow in 2022.
“A really safe way to ride with traffic is being able to get quickly up to pace with cars,” he said.
As of Thursday, around 1,000 people had applied to receive a voucher, Safranek said. The grantees will be chosen at random.
Safranek said he hopes to continue this program over the next five years and will review the process to make changes as they go. For instance, he and other city leaders have discussed how to make the program more available to folks with lower incomes who wouldn’t be able to pay the additional money for a bike above the $1,000 grant.
“This is just the pilot program,” Safranek said. “I wanted to keep it simple this first year and get more bikes on the road. Because the more bikes are out there, the safer it will be.”
Take Action
Anyone interested in applying for the City of Charlottesville’s e-bike voucher program can do so at this link. The city will select 25 people at random every three months in 2025 from the folks who apply to receive $1,000 “mini grants.” Those grants can be used to offset the cost of a new e-bike at three participating local stores: Endeavor Cycles, Blue Ridge Cyclery and Blue Wheel. All city residents over the age of 18 are eligible to enter, excluding city employees.
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