BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Trailblazers NWA is partnering with multiple organizations across Arkansas to bring an e-bike rebate to the area, lowering the cost of the bikes.
The group, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting biking and the corresponding infrastructure, is trying to make e-bikes, or electric bikes, more accessible.
"Hopefully there will be a rebate that when they go into a bike shop, they can just get an instant point of sale, and it will bring down the total price, in which the goal of making e-bikes more accessible cheaper, thus getting more e-bikes in the hands of people that would use them to commute or for recreational use." Trailblazers' Director of Outreach Prentis Grayson said.
Grayson said this is thanks to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that gave them a $7 million dollar grant for this project in hopes to help the environment with carbon emissions.
"One of the outcomes of that grant is an e-bike incentive program, and that program is really a point-of-sale rebate for e-bikes to help reduce the carbon emissions," Grayson explained.
While this will be great for consumers who will be looking to have more affordable e-bikes, it's also great for local bike shops.
"It's going to help us get more e-bikes, more sales, more incentives, more people buying e-bikes which could help the local economy especially with the program being a $7 million program," Grayson said.
5NEWS spoke to local cyclists who believe this will be a great way to further popularize biking in Northwest Arkansas.
"I really think that people go to Fayetteville, but they never actually leave Fayetteville. Just no cars. Gas is expensive. And I think the cheaper e-bikes, people will be able to see the area, because this is a beautiful area, you know. I think cheaper e-bikes would really benefit more people coming to Arkansas," Frank MacRory, a cyclist in Northwest Arkansas.
Another local cyclist, Tucker Goss, says that increased accessibility to e-bikes may help get people in the area better acquainted with the vast public trails in Northwest Arkansas and the River Valley.
"Mountain biking is a pretty intense sport. It takes a minute to get into it, but just having cheaper e-bikes, just better capabilities, that enables people to do more trails. It enables them to have the love and stuff that they couldn't really get. Maybe if they started out the traditional way," Goss said.
Grayson says he hopes to get this rebate going sometime next year.
"We're still going through the process of working with Metroplan, which is the lead agency, so we're looking at around 2025, when we're hoping to have the program implemented and started. And so, we're still quite a way away from it, but we're pushing forward," Grayson said.
For more information on the rebate and when it’s likely coming to your area you can click here to find out more.
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