Ah, yeah, I read your initial comment as claiming that existing e-bikes actually being sold have uselessly-small motors, not hypothetically suggesting it as a way to game the subsidy.

I'm not sure such a scheme would work because even a comically under-spec'd system would add enough cost to mostly cancel out the subsidy.

I'm sympathetic to the rhetorical point that 'acoustic' bikes are worth subsidizing too, just as a matter of good public policy. But to be fair, it's not necessary like it is for e-bikes because there are enough of those available used that you can afford one no matter how poor you are. For example, my 'daily driver' 'acoustic' bike, which I don't use as much now that I have the cargo e-bike but nevertheless has served me faithfully for well over a decade at this point, I got for free from a co-op back when I was a poor college student.