Li Jing

1793367393@qq.com

OWNERS of electric bicycles (e-bikes) registered in Shenzhen are eligible for a one-time government subsidy of 500 yuan (US$71) when they purchase a new e-bike to replace the old one under the city’s latest trade-in initiative, which was announced by the commerce bureau Sunday.

This trade-in incentive also applies to expats residing in the city, as confirmed by a representative from the city’s e-bike industry association, surnamed Luo, during a phone interview with Shenzhen Daily yesterday.

Effective until Dec. 31, the policy provides a 500-yuan subsidy to consumers who trade in their locally registered e-bikes, including the batteries, and purchase new e-bikes that meet national standards and are priced at a minimum of 1,500 yuan. Each person can only submit one subsidy application.

Interested applicants can submit their subsidy applications through the WeChat mini-program “深圳电动自行车换新” ( “Shenzhen Electric Bicycle Replacement” ) before Jan. 10. To qualify for the subsidy, applicants must sell their licensed e-bikes to authorized recycling and dismantling enterprises, provide proof of e-bike scrapping before the Dec. 31 deadline, and purchase new e-bikes that adhere to national standards.

Additionally, the e-bikes being replaced must have been registered under the applicant’s name on or before Sept. 5, 2024.

For further details regarding this policy, please call 0755-27125088.

Shenzhen is crowded with e-bikes, which are convenient for short trips. Official data show that there are now around 5.5 million e-bikes in the city.

In September, Chinese authorities proposed stricter technical standards for e-bikes, with their top designed speed capped at 25 kilometers per hour, to enhance safety and better regulate the rapidly growing e-bike sector.

The revised standards specify that controllers, batteries, and chargers must be “interoperable,” making it technically harder to tamper with them.