Colorado — home to the Rocky Mountains, Casa Bonita and the country’s largest statewide e-bike rebate program.
The Colorado Energy Office launched the program in August 2023, saving qualifying Coloradans anywhere from a few hundred to more than a thousand dollars off an e-bike purchase.
The next application window for Colorado’s e-bike program is: opens 10 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 9, and closes at 4 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 16.
Here’s the 101 on the state rebates, from how much the vouchers are worth to where they can be redeemed.
How much Colorado’s e-bike rebates are worth
Residents with an income at or below 80 percent of their area median income (AMI) can apply for the biggest discount — a $1,100 rebate. Here's a table that goes over what 80 percent of AMI is for different household sizes and different counties.
Those earning 80 to 100 percent of their AMI qualify for a $500 rebate. Here's a table to check for that AMI.
All applicants can receive an additional $300 if they purchase a cargo e-bike, and $250 for an adaptive e-bike.
An extra $100 is also available to cover the cost of purchasing essential bike accessories like a lock and a helmet.
Note: Participants cannot stack the rebates with additional local incentives offered by a growing list of Colorado communities, including Denver and Boulder.
How to apply for a Colorado e-bike rebate
When a new application window opens, residents will be able to apply on energyoffice.colorado.gov/ebike-rebates.
At the time of application, the only information needed is a personal email address.
Application periods have so far been open for several days at a time. (The first round was five days; the second, a week.)
When the window closes, the Colorado Energy Office will randomly select a group from the pool of applicants to award a rebate. (The first round awarded 2,000 rebates.) Those chosen applicants will be alerted via email.
Then, the chosen applicants will upload their necessary documentation: proof of residency and proof of income eligibility. Applicants have 48 hours to submit those documents.
Proof of address documentation includes:
- Current valid Colorado Driver’s License or ID
- Computer-generated bill (utility, credit card, doctor, hospital, etc.)
- Printed bank statement
- Pre-printed pay stub (from a period within the last 3 months)
- First-class mail (from a government agency or court)
- Current homeowner's, renter's, or motor vehicle insurance policy
- Mortgage, lease, or rental contract
- Transcript or report card from an accredited school
- Motor vehicle registration
- USPS Change of Address Form CNL107
- DD Form 214
For proof of income eligibility, all applicants must provide the first page of their 2022 federal tax form 1040.
If an applicant qualifies for the low-income rebate, they must provide proof of enrollment in one of these programs:
- Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)
- Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
- If Social Security is the only source of income and applicant is not required to file taxes, use form SSA-1099
- State of Colorado Low-Income-Energy Assistance Program (LEAP)
- Colorado’s Weather Assistance Program (WAP)
- Xcel Energy’s Income Qualified DSM Programs (Line 11 – Adjusted Gross Income is used)
- Xcel Energy’s Income-Qualified Community Solar Garden Program
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
- Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
- Medicaid
And if the applicant qualifies for the moderate-income rebate, they must provide proof of enrollment in one of these programs:
- Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)
- Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
At this time, the chosen applicants will also select whether they want a standard e-bike, a cargo e-bike or an adaptive e-bike. This choice cannot be changed.
With documentation uploaded, officials will review applications within 10 business days.
Rebate program customer service can be reached by phone at 833-933-9602 and via email at [email protected].
More questions about the program? Visit the website.
Where you can redeem a Colorado e-bike rebate
Here’s a list of the participating shops, including in-person shops and those taking phone orders.
A history of Colorado’s e-bike rebate program
Colorado’s program followed the success of Denver's e-bike vouchers, which proved shockingly popular after kicking off last year.
The first round of vouchers from the statewide program kicked off in August. The state hopes to help 7,000 residents purchase e-bikes through the program, which will last until the program burns through $6.6 million in funding allocated through air quality legislation signed into law last year.
Starting on April 1, 2024, all Coloradans will be eligible for a $450 discount on e-bikes at qualifying retailers, but the larger income-qualified discounts will no longer be available.
While Denver's e-bike rebates have been widely celebrated, the overall design of the program has frustrated some local bike sellers.
Denver has already seen the impacts of their program. Earlier this year, the city’s climate office released the results from a survey of nearly 1,000 people who received e-bike vouchers in 2022.
On average, Denverites self-reported riding their new two-wheeled electric vehicles 26 miles a week, replacing an average of 3.4 car trips over the same period of time.
Research from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory found that low-income workers who receive an e-bike ended up using it for 30 percent of their daily trips.
CPR's Sam Brasch and Alex Scoville contributed to this report.
