Old car for e-bike: swap campaign in Northern Europe brings clear results

–

PixabayAn environmental bonus for e-bikers reduces the number of old cars on the roads in Lithuania

–

Scrappage bonuses are not an unknown topic in this country either – after all, this type of incentive support helped the German auto industry in 2009 to absorb the shock waves of the global financial crisis. Previously, the premium was only granted when an old car was exchanged for a new one. In Lithuania there is now a different approach …

At first it sounds like a nice idea that will never work: Anyone who scraps their old car receives a subsidy to buy a new e-bike. But exactly this somewhat different concept of a scrapping campaign is celebrating great success in Lithuania. Obviously, many people there are willing to switch from gasoline or diesel to environmentally friendly two-wheelers if there is an incentive to do so.

The program was developed by the Lithuanian Environmental Project Management Authority (APVA), which is part of the country’s Ministry of Environment. It was started in the summer of 2020 with a budget of 8 million euros and grants the residents of the state a grant of up to 1,000 euros for the purchase of a new electric bike, bicycle, e-scooter, e-moped or e-motorcycle and for the Use of public transport.

Win-Win-Situation

Since e-bikes are already available for less than 1,000 euros and most older cars in Lithuania are worth less anyway, this means financial relief for people, especially since the costs for insurance, repairs, fuel and taxes for the old car are eliminated . Parking problems are also a thing of the past with an e-bike. So why not swap the old car for a motorized two-wheeler and make a contribution to protecting the environment?

Many Lithuanians apparently thought the same way. 95 percent of the eight million euros have already been called. Austėja Jonaitytė, spokeswoman for APVA, draws a positive conclusion: “The initiative received a lot of attention from the population. The number of applications exceeded all expectations. For this reason, the Ministry of the Environment has provided an additional 3 million euros from the climate protection program. “

In Germany, however, there is still such an environmental bonus only for e-cars. Only a few cities and municipalities grant subsidies for the purchase of e-bikes.

also read