Last time I checked in on the City of Portland electric bike rebate program, they told us we could expect a soft launch late summer/early fall. Well I’m happy to report they’ve kept their promise!
In a major update to this long-awaited program, the City has come up with a name for the program — “Portland Rides” — launched a new website and a soft launch of the program is set to begin officially this coming Monday, September 29th when the application period for the first batch of rebates begins.
To refresh your memory, the e-bike rebate program was adopted by City Council as part of the Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund’s (PCEF) Capital Investment Plan in June 2024. The plan is to use $20 million from that fund (which comes from a tax on large corporations) to support an estimated 6,000 new e-bike purchases over the next five years. In addition to helping Portlanders afford these new vehicles, the program will train 50 mechanics and invest in infrastructure for charging and bike parking at multi-family apartment buildings.
According to the City of Portland, the soft launch will target Portland Community College students who will be eligible for a $1,900 rebate. The rebate is split between $1,600 off a “standard Class 1 e-bike” and $300 for “essential bike accessories” (helmet, lock, lights, and so on). The window for rebate applications opens Monday September 29th and closes October 15th. (I’ve asked how many rebates will be available during the soft launch and will update this post if/when I hear back.)
Rebates will be redeemable from participating bike shops that are required to have a brick-and-mortar presence in Portland and provide both sales and repair service.
I also learned today that the City of Portland has awarded the contract to administer the program to Resource Innovations, a “women-led, purpose built” nonprofit that, “provides consulting and program management for the energy sector, helping utilities, government agencies, and system operators to achieve decarbonization goals and improve energy equity through services like clean energy transition, grid modernization, and electric vehicle integration.” The company that will process applications and rebates is APTIM, an environmental consulting firm. Portland State University will be the program’s third-party evaluator.
The full program that will be open to all qualifying Portland residents is set to launch in March 2026.
