Electric bikes can transform the way we live by replacing car trips, encouraging cities to improve their infrastructure, and decreasing the amount of carbon we emit into the atmosphere. But e-bikes will be transformational only if people can afford them — and as of today, most e-bikes are prohibitively expensive.
Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) wants to change this. The 72-year-old congressman from Portland has introduced a bill to help make e-bikes cheaper, and thus more accessible. Along with Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), Blumenauer helped author the Electric Bicycle Incentive Kickstart for the Environment (E-BIKE) Act, which would give a refundable tax credit of 30 percent on the purchase of a new e-bike.
“The bottom line here is to fully…