Arlington County, Virginia, has kicked off a program providing vouchers of up to $1,650 toward a new e-bike, according to its website.

"Arlington County, in partnership with EcoAction, is offering residents point-of-sale vouchers toward the purchase of an electric bike from a participating bike shop," the site states. "This program supports the County's Community Energy Plan by incentivizing residents to adopt lower-emissions transportation options and reduce travel via single-occupancy vehicles." 

The program began Aug. 14 and runs through Aug. 28. 

Residents can submit an online application here. A list of participating shops can be found here.

If the number of applications submitted exceeds the number of available e-bike vouchers, recipients will be selected at random from among the valid applicants. 

Three different vouchers are available: standard e-bike, enhanced e-bike, and enhanced e-bike lock. 

Any Arlington resident over age 18 is eligible to apply for a standard voucher, which has a maximum value of $600. 

Enhanced vouchers have a maximum value of $1,650. To qualify, a person must be 18 years of age or older, a resident of Arlington, and a member of a household that is enrolled in an eligible Department of Human Services program or a resident of an eligible affordable housing complex. 

A list of eligible programs can be found on the county website, and a list of eligible apartment complexes can be found here.

Individuals who receive an enhanced voucher are eligible to receive an enhanced e-bike lock voucher. These vouchers are good for up to $100 toward a bike lock at participating shops. 

What factor would be most important for you when buying an e-bike? Price 💰 Battery range 🔋 Max speed 💨 How it looks 💅 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Even those who are not eligible for Arlington's voucher program can save up to 60% off the retail price of an e-bike through Upway. Upway offers a range of options, simplifying the process of finding the e-bike that is right for you. 

Upway also buys used e-bikes, making it easy to turn your old, unused e-bike into cash. 

E-bikes, which contain electric motors that provide assistance while pedaling, are a great way to get more exercise while also avoiding traffic and reducing health-harming, planet-heating pollution.

Even assuming an e-bike is charged from an average electrical grid, an e-bike emits 30 times less heat-trapping pollution per mile than a conventional gas-powered vehicle, according to Movcan.

In addition to heat-trapping carbon dioxide, gas-powered vehicles also emit carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, and particulate matter, all of which pose a serious threat to human health, according to the California Air Resources Board. 

Plus, riding an e-bike saves money on gas, parking, and maintenance, which can really add up. 

E-bikes are cheap to charge, too, and many riders only really use the battery to get up steep hills, so they're an affordable way to get around as well. Still, if you have solar panels, you can charge your e-bike or electric vehicle with effectively free power from the sun. 

Now is a good time to install solar panels, too, with federal tax credits for home solar ending Dec. 31 and projects taking about 12 weeks including permitting. Those are worth 30% of the full product and installation cost before any state incentives, so it's a great value. EnergySage has an Expedia-like tool that makes it easy to compare quotes from local installers.

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