APPROVED CHAPTER
JUNE 8, 2023 140
BY GOVERNOR PUBLIC LAW
STATE OF MAINE
_____
IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD
TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-THREE
_____
S.P. 122 - L.D. 256
An Act to Add Electric Bicycles to the Electric Vehicle Rebate Program
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 35-A MRSA §10126, sub-§1, ¶A-1 is enacted to read:
A-1. "Electric bicycle" has the same meaning as in Title 29-A, section 101, subsection
22-B.
Sec. 2. 35-A MRSA §10126, sub-§3, as amended by PL 2021, c. 402, §3, is further
amended to read:
3. Rebate program established; eligibility. In accordance with the provisions of this
section, the trust shall establish and administer a program that provides rebates for the
purchase or lease of electric vehicles. A person may apply for and, as resources within the
fund allow, receive a rebate for an electric vehicle, subject to eligibility requirements
established by the trust. Eligibility criteria for the vehicle must include that the vehicle is:
a battery electric vehicle or a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle; purchased, or leased from its
original equipment manufacturer or an authorized licensee of the original equipment
manufacturer or a licensed automobile dealer for a term of 36 months or more, in the State;
and, to the extent required by Title 29-A, chapter 5, registered in the State, except that a
vehicle is not eligible if it has. An automobile, as defined in Title 29-A, section 101,
subsection 7, with a gross vehicle weight rating of 6,000 pounds or less, is not a truck or
an off-road vehicle and is not eligible for the program if it has a manufacturer's suggested
retail price greater than $50,000. To the extent funds are available, the trust may extend
program eligibility to medium duty vehicles and heavy duty vehicles that are battery
electric vehicles or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and to electric bicycles. Eligibility
requirements for the recipient of the rebate must include that the recipient attests to a
commitment to retain ownership, whether through purchase or lease, of the eligible electric
vehicle for at least 36 months from the date of purchase or lease. The trust may require a
recipient of a rebate under this section who does not retain ownership of the eligible electric
vehicle for at least 36 months to repay the trust up to the full amount of the rebate. If the
trust extends program eligibility to electric bicycles, the trust shall limit the electric bicycle
rebates to recipients who are low-income and moderate-income individuals and to entities
that serve those individuals, as determined by the trust. For a recipient to receive a rebate
Page 1 - 131LR0178(03)
for the purchase of an electric bicycle under the program, the electric bicycle must serve as
the recipient's principal means of commuting, as determined by the trust.
The trust shall establish the rebate amount for each eligible electric vehicle. The trust shall
establish rebate amounts that it determines most effectively increase the purchase of
eligible electric vehicles to advance the State's carbon reduction targets and reduce
transportation-related energy costs. For each model of an eligible electric vehicle, the trust
may establish different rebate amounts based on the size of the vehicle battery. The trust
may establish different rebate amounts for the purpose of providing reasonable opportunity
for participation in the program across different customer groups and geographic areas.
The trust may establish reasonable limits on the number of rebates per vehicle or per person.
Page 2 - 131LR0178(03)


Statutes affected:
Bill Text LD 256, SP 122: 35-A.10126
Bill Text ACTPUB , Chapter 140: 35-A.10126