THEAre American parliamentarians going to the Capitol by electric bike? One might think so from reading the flagship bill of Joe Biden’s tenure: Build Back Better. This riverine document of 2,000 pages describes in detail how some 1,800 billion dollars (1,590 billion euros) will be spent in order to reduce the social divide and strengthen the fight against global warming. It provides grants of up to $ 12,000 for the purchase of an electric car, provided it is built in the United States and equipped with an American battery. A natural attention to the land of the queen car.
But it was another, smaller queen who got attention and comments. With rare unanimity, according to parliamentarians quoted in the American press, it was decided to devote $ 4.1 billion to the development of the electric bicycle. Buyers will be reimbursed 30% of the purchase price, with a cap of $ 900, which corresponds to the purchase of a beautiful machine for $ 3,000. A grant whose generosity exceeds that of most European countries (500 euros in France).
Spectacular flight
The Americans were not expected on this ground. However, the confinements have visibly encouraged many city dwellers to try the two-wheeler adventure. According to the New York Times, Nearly half a million electric bicycles were sold in 2020, twice as many as electric cars. A figure up 145% compared to 2019. If the principle of electrification of the bicycle dates back a century, its use became commonplace from the 2000s thanks to the progress of batteries. China adopted it en masse at the turn of the century, but it is only for less than ten years that it has spread in Europe and the United States.
The flight is therefore spectacular. The Deloitte firm estimates that 130 million of these machines, mainly produced in China, will be sold between 2020 and 2023 worldwide. And in the corridors of Washington, the debates no longer relate to the relevance of such a boost, but to help with cargo bikes, which allow luggage and children to be taken over longer distances. A must to go to Congress.