How to get a free $2,000 from California to buy an e-bike, starting tomorrow
Last week, we shared the news of California’s long-awaited electric bicycle rebate program finally preparing to kick off in the Golden State. The rebate program opens to the public tomorrow, and here’s how you can try and snag up to $2,000 to buy your own e-bike.
The program took a circuitous path to implementation, overcoming serious mismanagement issues along the way.
But now it is finally here, helping Californians afford an electric bike that could serve as a key form of alternative transportation or as an investment in improving health and fitness. More e-bikes replacing cars on the roads also helps contribute to lighter traffic, reduced air pollution, and improved road safety – especially for cyclists and pedestrians.
The incentive is surely to be popular, as evidenced by similar programs in other states. So if you’re a California resident and been hoping to score one of only a few thousand coveted rebates to make an electric bike more affordable for you, make sure you’re prepared and know the requirements.
To qualify, Californians will need to first check if they’re in the eligible income bracket.
The cutoff is 300% of the Federal Poverty Line, which varies depending on the number of members in a household according to the chart below. Applicants who make less than 225% of the FPL are able to receive the full rebate amount of US $2,000, while applicants making between 225-300% of the FPL are eligible to receive the base incentive of US $1,750.
Both are enough to fully cover a number of highly capable electric bikes, or a significant portion of most e-bikes on the market.
Next, applicants will have to complete the online application form. There are several steps in the application, and they can only be completed once the application window opens on December 18 at 6PM PST.
First, create login credentials, followed by entering the basic contact details.
Next, complete the California residency verification and age verification step by uploading a picture of a valid driver’s license or state identification card.
The next step is verifying income eligibility by uploading your most recent federal tax return transcript. For those who many not have filed taxes, it is also possible to upload different income verification documents. There’s a list of acceptable documents that can be used to complete this step.
Lastly, applicants will need to watch a series of e-bike safety and climate impact training videos before being able to submit the application.
According to the program’s website, “Applicants whose applications are deemed ineligible will receive an email detailing this information and instructions on how to either resubmit required information or a notification that the information provided is not eligible under the program requirements.”
Those fortunate enough to be approved for an e-bike voucher (which can take up to 60 days to select and notify) will then have 45 days to use the voucher to purchase an eligible e-bike.
An extension of 45 days can be received if the desired e-bike is not currently in stock.
Eligible e-bikes must be new, conform to the 3-class system used by California, have an integrated front light as well as some type of rear light, come with at least a 1-year warranty, and be fully-assembled. The incentive also covers certain biking accessories such as safety gear, locks, etc.
A list of eligible electric bicycles is provided by the program officials here, though it hasn’t been updated in a month and is likely to change as additional qualified e-bikes are added.
While the California program isn’t the same as Denver’s, that successful program has proven to exhaust its new supply of vouchers in mere minutes each time a new round is opened.
This is only the first of several expected rounds of vouchers to be dismeninated through the California program, so if you aren’t lucky enough in the first round, there’s still likely going to be more chances next time.
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Solar panel giant Qcells announced today that it’s temporarily furloughing 1,000 US workers – 25% of its workforce – and reducing pay and shifts at its factories in northeast Georgia due to supply chain delays caused by US Customs.
Qcells furloughs 1,000 workers
The supply chain delays are hindering the company’s ability to import components to build its solar panels. This has resulted in Qcells’ two factories in Cartersville and Dalton being unable to operate at full capacity for several months.
Qcells spokeswoman Marta Stoepker shared the following statement in an exclusive with Channel 2 Action News in Atlanta:
The company says the furloughed workers, who were notified this afternoon, will retain full benefits and won’t be laid off. However, Qcells will no longer be using staffing agency employees in Georgia “at this time.”
As Qcells introduced new supply chains to support its growing solar panel manufacturing facilities in Georgia, the company was recently forced to scale back production while our shipments into the US were delayed in the customs clearance process.
Although our supply chain operations are beginning to normalize, today we shared with our employees that HR actions must be taken to improve operational efficiency until production capacity returns to normal levels.
Stoepker said it expects to bring the furloughed workers back “in the coming weeks and months.” She continued:
Our commitment to building the entire solar supply chain in the United States remains. We will soon be back on track with the full force of our Georgia team delivering American-made energy to communities around the country.
Electrek’s Take
In January 2023, the Seoul-headquartered Qcells announced it would invest more than $2.5 billion to build a solar supply chain in Georgia – the largest-ever investment in clean energy manufacturing in the US to date. That included expanding the Dalton solar factory and building a fully integrated solar supply chain factory in Cartersville, Georgia, that will manufacture solar ingots, wafers, cells, and finished panels.
It’s not quite there yet, because that takes time. In the meantime, it’s being penalized by Customs. The US government under Trump says it’s keen on boosting domestic manufacturing. Why would it work against a company that’s onshoring an entire solar supply chain, including recycling?
Dalton and Cartersville employ nearly 4,000 people. Its total output will reach 8.4 GW of solar production capacity per year, which is equivalent to nearly 46,000 panels per day – enough to power approximately 1.3 million homes annually.
It’s ludicrous that it has been forced to furlough a quarter of its workforce due to the ineptness of the Trump administration’s US Customs policies. This is right up there with the ICE arrests at Hyundai’s plant in Georgia. Bravo.
Read more: Georgia gives US solar panel manufacturing a big boost with a new factory
The 30% federal solar tax credit is ending this year. If you’ve ever considered going solar, now’s the time to act. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
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The breakthrough EV batteries Toyota says will double driving range and cut charging times are facing another setback. The company is once again delaying plans for a new battery plant in Japan.
Why is Toyota delaying its EV battery plant this time?
Earlier this year, Toyota bought a 280,000-square-meter plot of land in Fukuoka, Japan, where it planned to build a plant to produce the more advanced EV batteries.
A location agreement was expected to be signed by April, but Toyota pushed back construction by several months, blaming slower-than-expected demand for electric vehicles.
The agreement was expected to be finalized this Fall, but that will no longer be the case. According to Nikkei, Toyota is delaying the EV battery plant for the second time. Toyota will review and adjust plans over the next year.
Fukuoka governor, Seitaro Hattori, confirmed the news with reporters on Friday following a meeting with Toyota’s president, Koji Sato. Hattori also shut down claims that Toyota was planning to scrap the battery plant altogether.
Toyota again blamed slowing EV demand for the delay. The decision comes despite Keiji Kaita, president of Toyota’s Carbon Neutral Advanced Engineering Development Center, confirming at the Japan Mobility Show just last week that it’s “sticking on the schedule” to introduce its first solid-state battery-powered EV by 2028.
Last month, Toyota said it aimed to “achieve the world’s first practical use of all-solid-state batteries in BEVs” after securing a partnership with Sumitomo Metal Mining Co. to mass-produce them. It’s also working with Japanese oil giant Idemitsu.
The company recently revealed a solid-state battery pack prototype that it claims can deliver 747 miles (1,200 km) range and 10-minute fast charging, but will we ever see it actually in production?
Electrek’s Take
Toyota has been making empty promises about EV batteries for almost a decade now. It initially planned to introduce solid-state EV batteries in 2020, then pushed it to 2023, then 2026, and now it’s saying it will be around 2028.
Mass production is likely closer to the end of the decade, if Toyota doesn’t delay it again. While it’s blaming the slowing demand, global EV sales are still on the rise. According to Rho Motion, global EV sales topped 2 million for the first time in a single month in September 2025. Through the first nine months of the year, EV sales are up 26% compared to the same period in 2024.
Even with the US ending the $7,500 federal tax credit and other policies designed to promote electric vehicles, global adoption will continue building momentum over the next few years.
Is it a demand issue, or is Toyota just looking for another excuse? With rivals like Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai, BMW, and Honda advancing next-gen EV batteries, Toyota will only fall further behind if it continues delaying key projects.
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In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss how Tesla is now Elon’s after the shareholders’ meeting, Xpeng going all-in on AI, Rivian’s earnings, and more.
The show is live every Friday at 4 p.m. ET on Electrek’s YouTube channel.
As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in.
After the show ends at around 5 p.m. ET, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps:
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Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the podcast:
Here’s the live stream for today’s episode starting at 4:00 p.m. ET (or the video after 5 p.m. ET:
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