Cities, states, and major companies are racing to give people incentives to switch to electric bikes for their work commute or gadding about town — experiments they hope will reduce car traffic and improve people’s health…

But they’re expensive — typically around $2,600 for a commuter version, and $5,000 for a cargo model — so lawmakers, businesses, and others are trying to make them more accessible.
Driving the news: The number of e-bike incentive programs nationwide exploded 0ver the last year as the COVID-19 pandemic drove enthusiasm for all things bicycle — e-bikes in particular.

About 80 e-bike incentive programs are active, have been proposed, or completed across the U.S. and Canada, according to a tracker maintained by Portland State University’s Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC).
Some offer cash subsidies, rebates, tax credits, or low-interest loans.
Others give people free use of an e-bike for a limited time, or offer a bike “lending library.”