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Bay Area Swap-a-clunker for ebikes grant

This is an unofficial description of the program by the  ClimateAction Center Ebike Project . 

For the official description and to apply, see www.BAAQMD.GOV/CleanCarsforAll) ​

Quick link to share this page is www.ClimateAction.Center/CCFA-ebike

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Photo Credit: PeopleForBikes 

Summary:

Grants of $7,500 to low income residents to replace an old polluting car with a fleet of clean e-bikes for the whole family from the Bay Area Air Quality District (BAAQMD) under the Clean Cars for All (CCFA) program (www.BAAQMD.GOV/CleanCarsforAll)
 

Program basics: 

  • Scrap a car that is model year 2005 or older, operational and under 10,000 pounds.

  • Replace it with one or more E-bikes

    • plus accessories (helmets, locks, racks)

    • plus Bay area public transit funds (Clipper Card)

  • Limited to income-qualified Bay Area residents in a Disadvantaged Community zip code

Don't qualify? Check out the Incentive Programs page to see if there is another program in your area that works for you. ​

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What the grant covers: 

  • Applicants receive a $7,500 prepaid PEX VISA card for use to purchase an e-bike.

  • Households may purchase as many as one e-bike per member of the household up to the $7,500 grant limit.

  • E-bikes must be labelled Class 1, Class 2 or Class 3 and must be pre-approved by program staff before purchase.

  • Related accessories, including:

    • safety items, such as helmets, bright jackets or vests, fenders, bell or horn, and lights

    • security items such as locks, cables, GPS trackers and BikeLink membership

    • cargo carrying additions, such as racks, panniers, child seats or bars, front basket, and trailers. Also kickstand.

    • tools, such as a pump, pressure gauge, spare tubes, tire irons, patch kit. wrench, hex key, chain lubricant, and chain wear gauge.

  • Shipping & assembly & installation of accessories are covered as well. 

  • Transit funds. ​The remaining balance after e-bike and accessories are purchased can be loaded on to a Clipper Card. for use on any of the dozens of bus, train & ferry systems in the Bay area that take Clipper (most do).

  • Carshare (coming) soon): The Air District is developing a program to include a car sharing option also to help out with those trips that can't be done on transit or e-bike.  

This subsidy is large enough to cover the entire cost of a fully loaded cargo bike with all necessary accessories or at least two commuter bikes. With ebike prices coming down, you may be able to afford even more.

Applicants get 30 months (2 and one half years) to complete purchasing all items.

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For help in selecting, riding and maintaining that new bike, check the Buyers Guide and other support materials developed by the E-Bike Project for the program.

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Who qualifies: 

The BAAQMD e-bike grant program is currently funded as an expansion of the BAAQMD Clean Cars For All program.  

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CCFA Participants must: 

  • live in a qualifying zip code. See chart on the CCFA Eligibility page for a list of zip codes. Currently based upon CA Disadvantaged Communities (DAC)  (see Explanation of the DAC below for explanation and map).  

       Don'​t live in a qualifying zip code?  The program will be adding zip codes 94134, 94401, 94501, 94520, 94533, 94534, 94571, and 95407 in late 2023, then expanding to cover all Bay area residents sometime in 2024. Subscribe to the CCFA mailing list  to be notified when the program expands (scroll down on the home page to find the SUBSCRIBE button.)

  • have income at or below 400% of the current Federal Poverty Level (FPL - 2023 income cutoff level) as defined by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ($58,320 for a single person household, $78,880 for two people, $99,440 for three, and $120,000 for a family of four. See the Base Grant column chart on the CCFA Eligibility page for other household sizes.  

Changes proposed for late 2023: CARB has proposed to drop the income limit to 300% of FPL and to open the program to people in all zip codes. These changes had not taken effect as of our last check (8/21/2023) and are not likely to take effect until at least fall 2023.

  • When this change is completed, the new cutoff will be 300% of the current Federal Poverty Level (FPL - 2023 income cutoff level - $40,770 for a single person household, $54,930 for two people, $69,090 for three, and $83,250 for a family of four.)

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The vehicle to be scrapped must be:

  • 2005 or earlier model year, 

  • currently functioning, 

  • less than 10,000 pounds and 

  • registered by the applicant with the CA DMV for the last two years (You can turn in a car that is unregistered due to a failed smog test or some other situations). 

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The vehicle will be transferred to an authorized dismantler to be scrapped and recycled.

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To Apply:

Go to CCFA Apply.  Further program requirements and exceptions are listed on the linked 2021-22 CCFA Terms and Conditions (pdf). For factsheets and the official guidance manual for the Mobility Options program go to Resources section of the CCFA Mobility Options page.

 

PROGRAM PAUSE & UPDATE COMING in late 2023: Sometime in September or October 2023, the program will be likely close for about a month to prepare for the zip code and income updates listed above.

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If you are specifically interested in the e-bike program and have further questions about the program, you can send the Air District an email at cleancarsforall@baaqmd.gov .

 

To learn more about how e-bikes work, see E-bike 101

For help selecting an e-bike, see How to select & outfit an e-bike

Is an ebike right for you? For advice and other e-bike riders' stories, see Stories & Blogs

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Read about an applicant's experience with the process at CalBike's How to Get a Clean Cars for All E-Bike Voucher

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Share your experience: If you are interested in applying to the program and would be willing to share your experience with the process, let us know through a note in the Contact form below. 

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Help spread the word

Please pass the word about this program. Find sample newsletter text and social media to share at PR Resources for CCFA. Print out this CCFA flyer (2 page PDF) which provides an overview of e-bikes and links to the program 

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DAC Explain

Background:

The California Air Resources Board administers the Clean Cars For All (CCFA) program to provide incentives to lower-income California drivers to scrap their older, high-polluting car and replace it with a zero- or near-zero emission replacement. In 2019, CA Senate bill SB400 authorized the expansion of the CCFA program to include e-bikes & transit vouchers. The BAAQMD is the first regional Air District to implement the program  

 

Explanation of the origin of the DAC based BAAQMD Zip Code list: The zip codes represent Disadvantaged Communities (DACs) identified in the California Communities Environmental Health Screening Tool CalEnviroScreen Version 3.0 as developed by the California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment as part of CalEPA’s Environmental Justice Program. CalEnviroScreen is a mapping tool that helps identify California communities that are most affected by many sources of pollution, and where people are often especially vulnerable to pollution's effects. CalEnviroScreen uses environmental, health, and socioeconomic information to produce scores for every census tract in the state.  The current funding for the Clean Cars for All program targets census tracts with high CalEnviroscreen scores. For ease of administration this is converted to zipcodes that include those census tracts. 

 

To see the geographic spread of the program, see this Map of eligible BAAQMD CCFA Zip Codes that we created based on the Zip code eligibility list on the BAAQMD website as of 5/25/21. You can search for an individual address or zip code on this map to see if it falls within the green Clean Cars For All eligible areas. Always confirm the zip code with the list on the BAAQMD CCFA Eligibility page before applying.

 

Current CCFE E-bike program status across the state: 

The Bay Area Air Quality District (BAAQMD) took the lead among the state’s regional air quality boards in designing the first pilot program under this authorization. A few pilot applications were accepted in late 2020. The program then fully rolled out in January 2021.

The South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) has now begun the program. As of March 2023, however, It is not yet indicated on their website. Register for the car-sharing & public transportation mobility option, then ask your case manager for the ebikes option.  If you receive resistance, contact us below and we will put you in touch with someone who can help you navigate the process.

Other California regional air quality boards have the authorization to follow after BAAQMD and SCAQMD also if they get demand for it.

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