Wash. considers annual flat fee for electric cars

[Mtn.man]

Who Knew[Stooge]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_electric_car_fees

[Bailey Guns]

"The Man" is gonna get your green...even if you're green.

[roberth]

I think they should consider 'flattening' those cars at the local crusher.

Do people even realize the hazards and expense brought on by the batteries?

[Bailey Guns]

No, they don't. Because the mercury in them fukin CFL bulbs has fried their brains.

[Hoosier]

Local roads are paid out of gas taxes, and electric vehicles don't buy a lot of gas. So they are going to tax owners of electric vehicles $100 a year to pay for roads.

So it's basically a tax on electric vehicle owners. I would have expected it to be praised in this crowd.

A flat tax beats the other suggestion -- they want to put GPS in your car to track how many miles you drive. That kind of information totally wouldn't be subpoenaed, right?

H.

[Mtn.man]

Cash for Amperage.

[roberth]

Local roads are paid out of gas taxes, and electric vehicles don't buy a lot of gas. So they are going to tax owners of electric vehicles $100 a year to pay for roads.

So it's basically a tax on electric vehicle owners. I would have expected it to be praised in this crowd.

A flat tax beats the other suggestion -- they want to put GPS in your car to track how many miles you drive. That kind of information totally wouldn't be subpoenaed, right?

H.

My support for this tax would be because the folks who buy electric cars use the roads and they need to pay their fair share for using the roads. $100 is a fraction compared to the contribution made by people using gas or diesel. If they really want to be fair, they'll figure out an average and charge the electric vehicle owner that average amount.

The reason it is only $100 is because gas and diesel users are subsidizing the electric car owner's road use. This is immoral, not that any leftist gives a care about that.

What would happen if everyone drove electric cars, it wouldn't save the planet but it would reduce tax revenue and consequently the road maintenance budget so much that the tax would have to be increased substantially to make up the shortfall.

The mileage tax discussion should have it's own topic.

Taxes paid on a gallon of gasoline here are what, 40 cents. I buy roughly 15 gallons a week, that is $6 times 52 weeks and add extra tanks for mountain trips and vacations $312 base plus $90 (15 trips/vacations) is $402 is my contribution.

[CapLock]

15 gallons a week...what the hell do you drive a Prius [ROFL2]

I'm down to just my work truck right now and I spend 100 dollars a week in gas. My next purchase is going to be a fuel efficient vehicle. Won't be electric because I don't have the coin to buy an experimental unproven car that goes 50 miles. If you like burning gas at 3.60 a gallon probably soon to be over 4.00 have at it. I've had all I can stand.

[roberth]

15 gallons a week...what the hell do you drive a Prius [ROFL2]

I'm down to just my work truck right now and I spend 100 dollars a week in gas. My next purchase is going to be a fuel efficient vehicle. Won't be electric because I don't have the coin to buy an experimental unproven car that goes 50 miles. If you like burning gas at 3.60 a gallon probably soon to be over 4.00 have at it. I've had all I can stand.

:)

No, I do not drive much. I live pretty close to my job and I have the additional benefit of working from home on occasion.

I bet gas gets close to $5 a gallon here over the course of the summer.

Do you have your gas receipts? See how many gallons you buy per week and multiply that number by .40 (40 cents per gallon tax). Right now Colorado does not have a provision to tax electric cars for their road use + IIRC the USG (you and me) subsidizes their electric car purchase on top of their road usage.

[rockhound]

they use the road they should pay like the rest of us

[Irving]

For a while there, I was putting 100 miles a day on my car.

[2ndChildhood]

I bought my Scion xB in 2008 specifically for its combination of interior space and small engine. I've been practicing techniques to maximize its mileage, here's almost 3 years worth of results. Each data point is one tank. Cold temperatures really hit the mpg's hard, as do the times when my wife uses the car...
EPA gives it 31 Hwy, 28 City.
http://www.cleanmpg.com/garage/images/cha2593.png