Canberrans can now borrow up to $20,000 at 3% for an e-cargo bike

Electric cargo bikes became an eligible product under the ACT's Sustainable Household Scheme on Monday 21 September. The scheme, run by the ACT Government with Brighte as the loan provider, offers eligible households a low interest loan of $2,000 to $20,000 at 3% interest, repayable over up to 10 years, with no establishment or account keeping fees. Until now it covered things like household batteries, heat pumps, electric heating and cooling, electric stovetops, EVs and EV chargers, and ceiling insulation. E-cargo bikes are the first bike product on the list.

The government's pitch is the second car. It says an e-cargo bike can replace a lot of short family trips, such as school drop offs and the grocery run, which are exactly the trips a second car tends to be bought for. ACT Greens Deputy Leader Andrew Braddock, whose party first pushed for e-bikes to be included in 2021 and secured the commitment to add cargo bikes in May, put it plainly: for a household weighing up a second car, he said, an e-cargo bike is a cleaner and much cheaper option.

How the loan works

• Loans run from $2,000 to $20,000 at a 3% interest rate, with up to 10 years to repay and no penalty for paying it off early
• There are no establishment or account keeping fees, but applicants must meet Brighte's standard credit criteria
• Repayments start once you have bought the e-cargo bike
• Unlike an EV loan under the same scheme, you do not need a driver licence to apply for an e-cargo bike
• Applicants must meet the scheme guidelines and attend a free one hour workshop, online or in person
• Previous participants, and households that applied or were approved before 1 July 2026, are capped at $15,000 across the life of the scheme

The bigger picture

The scheme has been running since 2021 and more than 26,000 households have used it, according to figures reported on 21 September. The government estimates participants have saved more than $178 million through lower household bills and fuel costs. Belconnen and Tuggeranong account for 55% of all loans issued. The ACT Government has also published a buyer's guide for electric cargo bikes alongside the other product guides on its Everyday Climate Choices website.