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Question: I bought an electric bike for Christmas for my son to take back with him to college, and I expected to receive the state discount upon purchase. But the cashier didn’t know about it and told me to save the receipt. What’s going on? I thought they funded this in 2022.
Answer: A law approved in 2022 authorized the state Department of Transportation to establish a rebate program for the purchase of new e-bikes and electric mopeds, but the program isn’t up and running yet. It is expected to launch in February, Jai Cunningham, DOT spokesperson, confirmed Friday in an email.
The DOT has outsourced the program’s operation to a third-party vendor. Instructions on how to claim the rebate should be forthcoming, but for now the DOT has some information on its website, which says:
>> “Rebates will be available for the purchase of new electric bicycles with a maximum speed of 28 miles per hour, or the purchase of new electric mopeds made at a retail store on or after July 1, 2022.”
>> “The total rebate per vehicle will be capped at 20 percent of the retail price or $500, whichever is lower.”
>> “In addition, eligibility for rebates includes persons who: are 18 years of age or older (and) are eligible for certain low-income assistance programs; do not own a motor vehicle with four or more wheels; or are currently enrolled in a school, college, or university.”
The DOT website also links to a copy of the law, Act 306 (22), which then-Gov. David Ige signed in July, after the Legislature approved the underlying bill. It states that anyone who claims the rebate must furnish the buyer’s and seller’s signatures; a copy of the buyer’s valid government-issued photo ID; the purchase receipt; name and address of the retailer; verification of eligibility; “and any other documentation necessary to demonstrate the legitimate purchase of a new electric bicycle or new electric moped.”
Q: Your recent answer in Kokua Line regarding vanity plates stated that the new yearly charge to renew is $60 a year. We have the Polynesian Voyaging Society plates. Will the society get more of a donation due to the increase, and if so, how much?
A: The $60 annual fee we mentioned applies to personalized license plates, also known as vanity plates, not to specialty organization plates such as the PVS, Haleakala National Park or Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park license plates. The annual renewal fee for speciality organization license plates did not rise in July — it’s still $25, with $20 going to the organization, according to Honolulu’s Department of Customer Services.
Q: I know it won’t happen this year, but if they do eventually retire the rainbow license plate, will I be able to keep my personalized plate on it since it’s not a new plate?
A: No, your base plate would change, although you could keep the same personalized message, according to the city. Personalized plates, also known as vanity plates, would be reissued on the new base plate as they come up for annual renewal, rather than receiving only a current registration tag. Honolulu’s Department of Customer Services has said that the rainbow base plate, which is nearing the end of its current sequence after being issued for 32 years, will continue to be issued through the end of 2023 at least.
Auwe
After getting gas for my car at Costco in Waipio, I was trying to exit the parking lot onto Moaniani Street, and I almost got into an accident because of the cars parked illegally on the street. It looks like the city put bigger and brighter “no parking” signs on the street, but that hasn’t stopped selfish people from parking there. This is an accident waiting to happen. — Careful driver
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
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