The NWT’s Arctic Energy Alliance will soon be launching rebates for e-bikes and other electric vehicles.
These rebates will be coming on April 1st, and will go to northern residents who purchase electric on-the-land vehicles such as snowmobiles, ATVs, and boat motors. A similar rebate was offered by the AEA back in 2020, which affected passenger vehicles and certain level 2 home charging stations.
Then last year, the GNWT announced that it would provide the AEA with the funding needed to expand those rebates. Now, anyone in the NWT who buys an e-bike will get 50 percent of the cost back, up to $750. On-the-land vehicles will also see a 50 percent return, up to $2,500.
The previous rebates on passenger vehicles are also being slightly changed. Where customers would get back $5,000 for an electric car, as of April 1st, that limit will be raised to $7,500. More vehicles are also being brought into the new rebate plan. Currently, to qualify for a rebate, a car’s base model must have a manufacturer’s price of $60,000 or less before options and taxes are applied. As of April 1, that number will jump to $65,000.
E-bikes and on-the-land vehicles will be eligible for rebates anywhere in the NWT, though bikes will have to have been purchased after March 31st to qualify. On the other hand, Passenger EVs and charging stations will only qualify for rebates in northern communities that use hydroelectricity. Those locations are Behchokǫ, Dettah, Enterprise, Fort Resolution, Fort Smith, Hay River, Kátłodeeche, Ndilǫ and Yellowknife.
Marck Heyck, the Executive Director for the Arctic energy Alliance, said in a statement that “E-bikes are an excellent option for commuting, especially in smaller communities like we have here in the Northwest Territories. The AEA already has an e-bike for each of our offices, so we’ve seen that they can save a lot on energy costs compared to a bigger vehicle, while still making it easy to get around. And the e-bike market is growing fast, so there are so many options out there for people.”
The funding for this new rebate plan comes from the GNWT’s 2030 Energy Strategy.
