Comments on: Washington State Legislators Pass $100 Electric Vehicle Tax

By: Eletruk

Eletruk — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 03:03:02 +0000

It’ll come up when you renew your tabs and you need emissions tested.

By: jim osier

jim osier — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 07:24:15 +0000

How are they going to know who has a electric car. My truck doesn’t have a e in the vin number. they didn’t think about it in 94.

By: rprowley

rprowley — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 05:57:19 +0000

Well this law, if passed, stops me from purchasing a EV. This is so wrong and sets the efforts of auto manufactures back years. Why produce a high mph vehicle only to have a greedy state that has mismanaged their finances take away the incentive. This law also reduces our chance to curtail our dependence on foreign oil.

By: gaston

gaston — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 16:31:24 +0000

Washington state already charges a similar fee for vehicles powered by propane, butane, or natural gas. The fee is based on the weight of the vehicle. The smallest fee is $140 and goes up to $781.
The main reason the state has to do this is because there are trucks which use these fuels and truck do a lot of damage to the highways.
Freightliner already has an all electric delivery truck in production and others are coming. So it seems prudent that the state should put these EV fees into place.

By: FutureTrain

FutureTrain — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 10:26:18 +0000

That’s rediculous. What do people pay taxes for then? It’s just so wrong?! And in a country that is threatening to boycot the U.K.’s new air polution tax! Air can’t be replaced with a layer of cement.

By: quinny

quinny — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 02:27:26 +0000

I’ve been thinking about something like this here in the Netherlands too. EV’s and hybrids are currently exempt from paying road taxes (and the one time motor vehicles tax payable upon purchase of a vehicle). Add the fact that EV’s don’t use fuel, so they’re not getting the taxes levied on that either.

This’ll probably change in a few years, when enough people have bought EV’s. Perhaps they’ll even increase the taxes on electricity, to compensate for the losses on fuel tax. Higher electricity prices will mean more people installing solar panels, making the government lose those taxes again…

In the end, we’ll all have black boxes in our cars and pay per kilometer/mile driven on public roads. Perhaps with added cost for CO2 emissions and time of day (that would be fair and still promoting EV’s).

In the Netherlands, laws like this have been proposed. The only cars exempt from this would be classic cars, where the installation of a ‘black box’ would compromise the ‘classic car status’ of the car.

By: kazenske

kazenske — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 21:15:13 +0000

The mileage traveled system is going to be the way to go. The wear and tear on roads isn’t determined by what fuel you use to get around, it’s by the amount of use.

By: msyin

msyin — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 17:51:01 +0000

We are all paying for roads but my outrage comes from the lack of transparency as to where the money is really going, the fact that our roads and bridges are in horrible condition despite years of increases in gas taxes, road taxes and tag fees. We pay and pay and pay and yet the system is not getting better, being maintained or even improved in keeping with the money we are all dishing out. The bill is ridiculous and anyone who drives now should be pissed because using gas cars is going to be a thing of the past even if you are against them in any way now. The issue is the lack of forward thinking that is just typical of our elected officials who seem to never be able to think beyond an opinion poll.

By: Eletruk

Eletruk — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 23:34:45 +0000

So far, only the state Senate has passed the law. It still lhas to go through the House.
Currently, charging EVs for road tax is pointless. There are so few EVs, that even at $100 per car, the total cost of administering the fee will most likely exceed revenue gained.

Also it doesn’t address the real problem. Everybody is using less gas, and so road tax collection goes down. So why target such a tiny percentage of the vehicles? Because they are so small they can’t fight back. Well, we are fighting back, that’s why the law didn’t pass last year.

The gas tax is based on vehicles getting an average 22mpg, so with Federal CAFE standards set over 50mpg, where does this law help? It doesn’t, except to possibly reduce the number of EVs sold.

Here’s a better solution: Also on the books is a law to allow plug-in vehicle to use the HOV lane. Why not put a $100 fee on getting a sticker to use the HOV lane? That way you still promote EVs, and you get your stupid $100.

By: mercurydan

mercurydan — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 23:03:58 +0000

Thats stupid. They get enough money from other places. Stop spending it on war. This isn’t going to help EV’s taking off.

By: caeman

caeman — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 17:55:13 +0000

Every state should pass a similar law. Simply put, road maintenance is paid money from fuel taxes. You EV owners didn’t think you were going to have a free ride, did ya? If you use the roads, you should pay for the roads.