The French government has decided to increase the amount of material support it provides to people who exchange their gas-powered cars for e-bikes. The subsidy increase is about $3,976 for an individual who decides to replace his car, according to the British newspaper, The Times.
The report, according to a local Arabic daily, the money aims to motivate people to abandon their polluting transportation in favor of cleaner, more environmentally friendly alternatives.
The French government allows low-income families living in low-emission urban areas to get a full subsidy of $4,000 to trade in their cars and buy an e-bike, while French citizens of higher income groups can claim lower benefits, according to the report.
The support, which was first proposed last year, was increased after officials agreed that more efforts needed to be done to catch up with cycling-loving rivals such as the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark.
This comes a week after US President Joe Biden signed a massive tax and climate bill that completely ignores the potential to combat climate change for e-bikes. The US bill includes millions of dollars in tax credits for electric cars, but does not include money for incentives for e-bikes.
The French government has said it wants 9 percent of its population to cycle by 2024, compared to its current target of just 3 percent.
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