The California Air Resources Board said it has ended, for now, a popular program that provides vouchers for low-income Californians to purchase electric bicycles.Instead, about $18 million from the California E-Bike Incentive Project is being redirected to another incentive program called Clean Cars 4 All that helps people trade in their gas-guzzling cars for electric or hybrid vehicles, CARB confirmed. This represents nearly half of the $31 million that was allocated for the e-bike program. (Video above: Consumer Reports | E-bikes 101.)CARB said the e-bike incentive program, which launched in 2024, has helped more than 2,100 Californians with low incomes purchase an e-bike with up to $2,000 in vouchers. The vouchers were doled out to eligible recipients during two application periods. “A third application round was anticipated to take place next year, however due to state budget constraints, the program’s funding has been re-allocated to another program,” CARB spokesperson Joe DeAnda said in a statement. “This is a recent outcome of legislative direction, and we have just started informing program partners. Funding conversations are ongoing, and it’s possible additional funding could be allocated in future years.” There is no more funding to be allocated for the bikes and “we don’t have any voucher application windows scheduled,” CARB added. KCRA 3 has asked for more information on how the money that has used so far was spent. The shift, which was not publicly announced or noted on the program’s website, was first reported by KQED. A CARB spokesperson said the agency plans to update its website “soon.”It comes after the e-bike program experienced high demand for limited vouchers, especially for its second application window for the program in April. That sign-up session for just 1,000 vouchers had to be rescheduled over tech glitches.The California Bicycle Coalition advocacy group, in a statement on its website, slammed CARB for pulling the plug on its e-bike program to prioritize Clean Cars 4 All and the “cost and burden of car ownership.” “CARB’s decision to absorb the remaining funding from the E-Bike Incentive Project into Clean Cars 4 All is a telling political moment—one that mistakes ‘cleaner cars’ for genuine progress,” the group said. “It’s easier to imagine replacing every gas car with an electric one than to imagine a California where people can move freely without cars at all. But the latter is what true climate leadership requires. The E-Bike Incentive Project wasn’t flawless, but it represented a rare, tangible step toward that future: a policy backed by funding that helped Californians drive less, not just differently. Reversing it is a step backward for the state and a disservice to the people who believed in it.”The group said that California regulators took the wrong takeaway from the e-bike program’s “turbulence” with its rollout. “The overwhelming demand makes clear this is a popular program that people want,” CalBike said. “Tens of thousands of Californians lined up for each round of the e-bike incentives, waiting hours online for a chance at a modest voucher.”See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

SACRAMENTO, Calif. —

The California Air Resources Board said it has ended, for now, a popular program that provides vouchers for low-income Californians to purchase electric bicycles.

Instead, about $18 million from the California E-Bike Incentive Project is being redirected to another incentive program called Clean Cars 4 All that helps people trade in their gas-guzzling cars for electric or hybrid vehicles, CARB confirmed. This represents nearly half of the $31 million that was allocated for the e-bike program.

(Video above: Consumer Reports | E-bikes 101.)

CARB said the e-bike incentive program, which launched in 2024, has helped more than 2,100 Californians with low incomes purchase an e-bike with up to $2,000 in vouchers. The vouchers were doled out to eligible recipients during two application periods.

“A third application round was anticipated to take place next year, however due to state budget constraints, the program’s funding has been re-allocated to another program,” CARB spokesperson Joe DeAnda said in a statement. “This is a recent outcome of legislative direction, and we have just started informing program partners. Funding conversations are ongoing, and it’s possible additional funding could be allocated in future years.”

There is no more funding to be allocated for the bikes and “we don’t have any voucher application windows scheduled,” CARB added. KCRA 3 has asked for more information on how the money that has used so far was spent.

The shift, which was not publicly announced or noted on the program’s website, was first reported by KQED. A CARB spokesperson said the agency plans to update its website “soon.”

It comes after the e-bike program experienced high demand for limited vouchers, especially for its second application window for the program in April. That sign-up session for just 1,000 vouchers had to be rescheduled over tech glitches.

The California Bicycle Coalition advocacy group, in a statement on its website, slammed CARB for pulling the plug on its e-bike program to prioritize Clean Cars 4 All and the “cost and burden of car ownership.”

“CARB’s decision to absorb the remaining funding from the E-Bike Incentive Project into Clean Cars 4 All is a telling political moment—one that mistakes ‘cleaner cars’ for genuine progress,” the group said. “It’s easier to imagine replacing every gas car with an electric one than to imagine a California where people can move freely without cars at all. But the latter is what true climate leadership requires. The E-Bike Incentive Project wasn’t flawless, but it represented a rare, tangible step toward that future: a policy backed by funding that helped Californians drive less, not just differently. Reversing it is a step backward for the state and a disservice to the people who believed in it.”

The group said that California regulators took the wrong takeaway from the e-bike program’s “turbulence” with its rollout.

“The overwhelming demand makes clear this is a popular program that people want,” CalBike said. “Tens of thousands of Californians lined up for each round of the e-bike incentives, waiting hours online for a chance at a modest voucher.”

See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel