EV owners could soon pay $250 annual tax to use US roads?

[NMNeil]

Since the gas tax is not applicable to all drivers may be it would be prudent to repeal gas taxes and let everyone pay this federal fee.

Repeal a tax!!!
What's the weather like on your home planet? 🤣

 

[E90400K]

Personally, I think that the gas tax should be dumped in favor of a VMT/weight based tax. Take the miles traveled per year and multiply it by some weight based factor. This would be the most equitable way to pay for our roads.

It is already weight based. Fuel consumption is proportionally affected by weight. It is already equitable, Federal and State fuel taxes are higher for diesel fuel.

 

[KevinRS]

It is already weight based. Fuel consumption is proportionally affected by weight. It is already equitable. Also, Federal and State fuel taxes are higher for diesel fuel.

The problem is while fuel consumption is somewhat proportional to weight, road wear is much greater based on weight. It's actually weight to the 4th power. From the GAO a fully loaded 5 axle truck has the same impact as 9,600 automobiles.

 

[fuzzyweis]

An alternative to disproportionate taxes or calculating individual use is just toll all the major roads and residential tax for the side streets.

To calculate usage would need either an annual inspection or some sort of tracker, many states don’t have inspections, or even like NC does but cars over 30 are exempt, and not many people want the tracker option.

I think just having a standard toll sticker or they snap your plate on the highways, send a monthly bill, then do away with the gas and EV taxes, and add in residential (not just owner) infrastructure taxes.

No taxes are fun but we gotta pay for stuff. I’m definitely ‘doing my part’ with my Ranger electric and it’s less than 1,000 miles a year but $214.50 a year EV fee.

-Jim

 

[sodamo]

An alternative to disproportionate taxes or calculating individual use is just toll all the major roads and residential tax for the side streets.

To calculate usage would need either an annual inspection or some sort of tracker, many states don’t have inspections, or even like NC does but cars over 30 are exempt, and not many people want the tracker option.

I think just having a standard toll sticker or they snap your plate on the highways, send a monthly bill, then do away with the gas and EV taxes, and add in residential (not just owner) infrastructure taxes.

No taxes are fun but we gotta pay for stuff. I’m definitely ‘doing my part’ with my Ranger electric and it’s less than 1,000 miles a year but $214.50 a year EV fee.

-Jim

why make it complicated. Vehicle have to be registered, just add a mileage field and/or add to yearly inspection. Severe penalty when caught cheating.

 

[fuzzyweis]

why make it complicated. Vehicle have to be registered, just add a mileage field and/or add to yearly inspection. Severe penalty when caught cheating.

Ah the honor system, I see so many cars around with missing plates or plates in the back window, so my suggestion probably wouldn't work much better. Sure let’s choose optimism!
-Jim

 

[Orley]

Whatever registration fee is chosen, just make it fair between ICE and EV. Flat rate or per mile fee or something else is fine w me so long as it is fair. The EV hate in this country won't last forever.

 

[E90400K]

The problem is while fuel consumption is somewhat proportional to weight, road wear is much greater based on weight. It's actually weight to the 4th power. From the GAO a fully loaded 5 axle truck has the same impact as 9,600 automobiles.

I'm not sure how that math works, but I'm not going to argue about GAO points of view. Is 9,600 automobiles per one 5-axle truck that impactful if the automobiles barely have any impact to the road surface and foundation?

Simple math for a max 40-ton truck Class 8 semi trailer puts the load at each contact patch around 4,400 pounds. A 3,800 pound car has 960 pounds at each tire. Then the actual contact patch area comes into play. Rough numbers I come up with indicate an 80,000 pound 18-wheel semi (as an example) are around 40% heaver at the contact patch vs. a 3,800 pound car. But concrete and asphalt have minimum load bearing capacities where they are not damaged by weight. So not to delve too much into the engineering, I'm not sure the impact to road surfaces is that great between typical cars and typical large trucks. Roads are designed to take heavy loads.

I think one of the more obvious impactors to road degradation is the environment and weather conditions. I find it amusing the argument of weight impact of EVs vs. ICEV. EV have no more impact to road damage than ICEV. Obviously heavy trucks impact road damage more than cars but the difference in tax between gasoline and diesel makes up for most of the delta.

I'd bet if we were to look into HOW the fuel taxes are used to build and maintain infrastructure, we'd find the dollars spent today are not spent how the legislation written in the 1940's and 1950's intended. That's a political discussion I'll leave alone.

 

[E90400K]

Whatever registration fee is chosen, just make it fair between ICE and EV. Flat rate or per mile fee or something else is fine w me so long as it is fair. The EV hate in this country won't last forever.

I'm not sure classifying it has "EV hate" is accurate.

 

[KevinRS]

I'm not sure classifying it has "EV hate" is accurate.

There is definitely a group that thinks EVs are worse for the environment than ICE, and those that will "roll coal" on EVs, that will park their big trucks across EV charging spaces to block them, etc.
Some portion of politicians at least seem to want to be sympathetic to them, and vote accordingly.

 

[Orley]

"I'm not sure classifying it has "EV hate" is accurate." Okay sir I'll give you that.

 

[sodamo]

Rolling coal sure might come close to hate.
My evolution, while not anti EV, definitely wasn’t pro and to be honest, the mandates did nothing to improve that. TBH, living off grid did influence as I didn’t see the benefits, mostly the drag on my system. But decided I needed to learn more and became convinced PHEV was a good way to go and should be improved and advocated. Then I got my Hybrid Tundra and a different fish, took interest. When Slate got announced, my interest skyrocketed and I began to see the additional benefits of EV and then the possibilities personally, minimizing detriment to my system. A couple of friends have PHEV and i find the EV portion ridiculously limiting while not providing all the benefits. Once I get my Slate, my ICE use will be reduced as much as possible, the maximize my EV benefits.