Nashville residents could cash in on a proposed e-bike subsidy from the city

If you live in Nashville and plan to buy an electric bike, it could pay off.

The Metro Council will consider a resolution dedicating a million dollars of federal COVID funds for rebates.

It’s an effort to reduce the carbon footprint, add other sustainable options for transportation and get residents using the city’s increasing bike infrastructure.

Right now, the e-bike rebates vary based on the applicant’s income and whether they purchased a standard e-bike versus an e-cargo. This type of bike allows a person to get around with their groceries, kids or packages.

For people earning below 80% of the area median income for Nashville and Davidson County (which is defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development) or below 200% of the relevant federal poverty level, here’s a breakdown of the subsidy:

• The base level rebate is up to $300 for an e-bike or $500 for an e-cargo bike.
• The income-qualified rebate is up to $1,400 for an e-bike and up to $1,400 for an e-cargo bike.

“We have a lot of hills in Nashville,” Councilmember Colby Sledge says. “E-bikes, I really believe open the doors to people who may not think to get on a bike or may feel like biking is inaccessible to them.”

Sledge is proposing the rebate idea based on Denver Colorado’s program.

But the city’s finance director must check the federal government’s rules to make sure COVID money can be used in this way. And the city’s COVID financial oversight committee will need to discuss the resolution.

So this week, the Metro Council delayed voting.

Last year, the city announced it was working with partners on dockless e-bikes. The city also studied the use of e-bikes on greenways and decided to continue allowing class one and twos to be used but not e-bikes that go up to 28 mph. The Greenways and Open Space Commission says they didn’t make a change since there wasn’t enough information proving e-bikes were unsafe on greenways.