Bicycle Network has written to the Australian government calling for inclusion of e-bikes in its essential services electric vehicle loan scheme.
The $150 million scheme applies to essential workers – police officers, firefighters, teachers and nurses – and anyone else earning less than $100,000.
Successful applicants would shave 5 percentage points off the interest on a personal loan to buy the vehicles.
Offered through the Commonwealth Bank, the EV Access Program covers loans up to $55,000 for new and used electric and hybrid vehicles. The eligible electric and hybrid vehicle definition doesn’t include electric bicycles.
Bicycle Network’s letter to Treasurer Jim Chalmers and the Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen, stated that good quality cargo e-bikes, which can cost between $6000 and $12,000, should be encouraged for their ability to reduce car trips.
It also pointed out that many essential workers, such as nurses and firefighters would prefer to ride to work because of the health benefits and ease of parking. Helping them buy e-bikes would make it more likely that they would ride regularly.
Bicycle Network CEO Alison McCormack has previously written to both MPs asking for a simple change to the fringe benefit tax rules for people salary sacrificing e-bikes.
E-bikes subsidies, grants, tax breaks and cheap loans have been offered around the world as a quick way of reducing transport emissions.
Bicycle Network CEO Alison McCormack has previously written to both MPs asking the government to extend the fringe benefit tax rules that apply to people salary sacrificing to purchase electric cars and plug-in hybrids to people who are salary sacrificing to buy e-bikes.
According to the National Automotive Leasing and Salary Packaging Association, this simple change would result in 57,800 extra e-bikes on the street within a year.
The e-bike moment is now
The Tasmanian Government has recently introduced no-interest loans for the purchase of an e-bike up to $10,000 which can be paid off over three years. This comes after its successful e-bike rebate scheme and Queensland’s scheme which saw $2 million in rebates for e-bikes handed out in just one month.
Bicycle Network joined with other bicycle organisations across the country last year on submission to the federal government’s Net Zero Roadmap and Action Plan consultation.
The submission calls for bicycles and e-bikes to be included in the light vehicles category in the Roadmap and Action Plan.
It also calls for a “step change” in funding for active transport infrastructure from millions to billions, as it’s more likely that e-bikes will replace car trips when safe, connected networks of cycling paths and separated cycleways are present.
The government has not released a final Roadmap and Action Plan.
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