Gone in 60 seconds: Denver’s latest e-bike vouchers scooped up in a minute
Electric bicycle rebate programs, which often provide vouchers or tax credits to help offset the cost of an electric bike for local residents, are becoming increasingly popular around the US. The city of Denver’s own program, which was one of the first in the country, has now become a victim of its own success.
The Denver e-bike voucher program regularly offers new tranches of vouchers at specific intervals throughout the year, with local residents eagerly awaiting the chance to log in and sign up to hopefully receive a coveted voucher.
The rebates start at $300 for a standard electric bicycle or $500 for a cargo e-bike, but larger rebates are available for lower-income city residents. At the highest level, rebates for up to $1,400 off the price of an electric bicycle are available.
The latest batch of 220 vouchers was released this week, but as usual, demand significantly outpaced supply. In total, 17,000 people logged on to the rebate program’s site to quickly fill out the form in hopes of receiving one of the few vouchers available.
Maggie Hansen explained to the Denverite that she logged on right as the vouchers dropped at 11:00 AM, filling out the form as quickly as she could despite having a cast on one hand. When she clicked ‘Enter’ at 11:01 and 11 seconds, she was met with a rejection response that no vouchers remained.
Past rounds have taken longer to exhaust the total number of vouchers available, though rarely more than 20 minutes.
E-bike voucher programs like Denver’s are becoming an increasingly popular tool for promoting sustainable transportation and improving the quality of life for city residents. These programs provide much-needed financial incentives in the form of discounts or vouchers that help residents purchase electric bikes, making this eco-friendly mode of transportation more accessible to a broader range of people.
By lowering the upfront cost of e-bikes, these programs encourage more individuals to opt for this efficient and environmentally friendly alternative to cars, which in turn helps reduce traffic congestion, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and improve air quality in urban areas.
Beyond the environmental benefits, e-bike voucher programs also offer significant advantages for residents’ health and finances. E-bikes make cycling more accessible to people of varying ages and fitness levels by providing assistance on hills or during longer rides, encouraging more people to incorporate physical activity into their daily routines.
Additionally, by offering a cost-effective alternative to car ownership, these programs can help residents save on transportation expenses such as fuel, parking, and maintenance. For those who rely on public transit, e-bikes can provide a convenient “last mile” solution, making it easier to reach destinations that are not directly served by bus or train routes. Ultimately, these voucher programs not only support greener cities but also contribute to the well-being and financial stability of their residents.
At the same time, they’ve been met with their own fair share of issues.
Some programs, such as California’s long-awaited state-level e-bike rebate program, have been horribly mismanaged.
Even Denver’s program though, which has been touted countrywide as a success story among e-bike rebate programs, has helped to lay bare the struggle among cyclists in demanding safe and effective road infrastructure. The influx of new e-bike riders in Denver, largely helped by the generous e-bike voucher program, has put more stress on local streets and forced the city to accelerate its already progressing plans to roll out more bike lanes and safer cycling routes.
Those hoping to get in on the next round of Denver’s e-bike rebates should prepare in advance, marking Tuesday, October 29th on their calendars. Be sure to limber up your fingers, as you’ll likely have less than a minute to fill out that form.
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Fueled by incentives from the Illinois EPA and the state’s largest utility company, new EV registrations nearly quadrupled the 12% first-quarter increase in EV registrations nationally – and there are no signs the state is slowing down.
Despite the dramatic slowdown of Tesla’s US deliveries, sales of electric vehicles overall have perked up in recent months, with Illinois’ EV adoption rate well above the Q1 uptick nationally. Crain’s Chicago Business reports that the number of new EVs registered across the state totaled 9,821 January through March, compared with “just” 6,535 EVs registered in the state during the same period in 2024.
Those numbers represent more than 50% growth in EV registrations – far beyond the expected 12% first-quarter increase nationally being projected by Cox Automotive. (!)
What’s going on in Illinois?
While President Trump and Elmo were running for re-election, they campaigned on the threat promise of canceling the $7,500 federal tax credit for EVs. Along with California Governor Gavin Newsom, Illinois’ Governor JB Pritzker made countermoves – launching a $4,000 rebate for new electric cars and up to $1,500 for the purchase of a new electric motorcycle.
At the same time, the state’s largest utility, ComEd, launched a $90 million EV incentive program featuring a new Point of Purchase initiative to deliver instant discounts to qualifying business and public sector customers who make the switch to electric vehicles. That program has driven a surge in Class 3-6 medium duty commercial EVs, which are eligible fro $20-30,000 in utility rebates on top of federal tax credits and other incentives (Class 1-2 EVs are eligible for up to $7,500).
We covered the launch of those incentives when the program was announced at Chicago Drives Electric last year, but the message here is simple: incentives work.
SOURCES: Chicago Business, Ray Cunningham; featured image by the author.
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The electric construction equipment experts at XCMG just released a new, 25 ton electric crawler excavator ahead of bauma 2025 – and they have their eye on the global urban construction, mine operations, and logistical material handling markets.
Powered by a high-capacity 400 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery capable of delivering up to 8 hours of continuous operation, the XE215EV electric excavator promises uninterrupted operation at a lower cost of ownership and with even less downtime than its diesel counterparts.
XCMG is delivering on part of that reduced downtime promise with the lower maintenance and easier repair needs of electric equipment, and delivering on the rest of it with lickety-quick DC fast charging that can recharge the machine’s massive battery in 1.5-2 hours … but that’s not the slick bit. The XCMG XE125EV can be powered up without leaving the job site thanks to its BYD battery swap technology.
We first covered XCMG and its battery swap technology back in January, and covered similar battery-swap tech being developed by MOOG Construction offshoot ZQUIP, as well – but while XCMG’s battery tech has been in production for several years, it’s still not widely known about in the West (even within the industry).
XCMG showed off its latest electric equipment at the December 2024 bauma China, including an updated version of its of its 85-ton autonomous electric mining truck that features a fully cab-less design – meaning there isn’t even a place for an operator to sit, let alone operate. And that’s too bad, because what operator wouldn’t want to experience an electric truck putting down 1070 hp more than 16,000 lb-ft of torque!?
Easy in, easy out
The best part? All of the company’s heavy equipment assets – from excavators to terminal tractors to dump trucks and wheel loaders – all use the same 400 kWh BYD battery packs, Milwaukee tool style. That means an equipment fleet can utilize x number of vehicles with a fraction of the total battery capacity and material needs of other asset brands. That’s not just a smart use of limited materials, it’s a smarter use of energy.
You can check out all the XE215EV’s specs at this tear sheet, and get an in-person look at the Chinese company’s latest electric excavator this week in Munich, Germany.
SOURCE | IMAGES: XCMG.
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As “extreme” weather events become more commonplace, the demand for reliable and portable energy continues to rise. In response to that growing demand for dependable off-grid power, Volvo has developed the new PU500 Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) designed to take electrical power when it’s needed most.
Designed to be deployable in a number of environments at a moment’s notice, the Volvo Energy PU500 BESS is equipped with approximately 500 kWh of usable battery capacity (up to 540 kWh total). More than enough juice, in other words, to power a remote construction site, disaster response effort, or even a music festival – anything that needs access to reliable electricity beyond a grid connection.
That’s great, but what sets the PU500 apart from other battery storage solutions is its integrated 240 kW DC fast charger.
“With an integrated CCS2 charger, the PU500 is designed to work with all brands of electric equipment, trucks, and passenger cars,” says Niklas Thulin, Head of BESS Product Offer at Volvo Energy. “This ensures that no matter what type of electric vehicle or machinery you rely on, the PU500 can provide the power you need, making it a truly flexible solution for any grid constrained site or location.”
The integrated charger in the PU500 has the impressive ability to charge a heavy equipment asset (be that an electric semi truck or something like a wheel loader) in under two hours. Its on-board capacity allows to fully recharge up to 3 electric HD trucks or 20 electric cars per day, making it an incredibly versatile disaster response asset.
Electrek’s Take
As we often say over at The Heavy Equipment Podcast, “just because you’re working for the power company doesn’t mean you have power,” and there are hundreds of scenarios where the extra power provided by something like the new PU500 would be useful. Its ability to be palletized and easily moved or swapped out of a larger BESS array, too, just add to its flexibility.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Volvo.
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