Gas cars pay road tax
but get a free ride on the environment for the Pollution and damage to our air.
Inequities Today: For visualization, these charts to the right shows usage/consumption above the line and benefits below.
Current impacts are shown solid, and future fees are shown hashed.
As shown, both fossil fuel vehicles and EVs have a usage impact on the roads.
Gas cars pay a gas tax for the roads but their huge cost in environmental damage is not being collected.
Conversely, EV road fees are not currently being collected but EV environmental benefits are real.
The pollution cost of the fossil fuel vehicles adds to their usage impact, whereas,
the environmental benefits of the EVs shown in green tend to balance out their road load
for a net-0 overall cost now. This apparent free ride for a few EVs is accepted now because
of their significant benefit in reducing pollution. Considering environmental impacts and
road usage costs, then, we can consider a degree of parity between gas and EVs today
EquityTomorrow: But, as we consider possibly raising usage fees on EVs, to be fair,
we need to also raise the pollution fee on fossil fueled vehicles as shown above (right).
The solid colors in the figures are currently paid. To maintain parity in the future,
the hashed colors need to be paid by both vehicles. As we raise the road fee on the EVs,
there must be a comparable and equal rise in the pollution fee on fossil fueled vehicles.
The mechanism for collecting these fees is probably at the MVA.
This new usage fee is inversly proportional to EPA rated MPG for all fossil fueled vehicles including hybrids. For all EV's and PHEV's the fee
is similarly inversly proportional to MPGe. This maintains equity across all Vehicles regardless of tonnage, size, weight, hybrid status or battry size.
To maintain fairness, all income from fossil fuels go to Air Quality and the environment impacted by these vehicles and
all fees from EVs go to the roads.
Download a 1 page paper on this topic.
Bob Bruninga
See also the page on Payin-to-Plugin for easy use of 115v outlets at work.
Disclaimer: This web page is not associated with the US Naval Academy.
Vehicles have two impacts on the state: With the demise of coal, Fossil Fuels for transportation are the biggest
remaining Energy emissions impact on our state. Vehicles add wear-and-tear
to both the roads and the environment . Currently,
Fossil fueled vehicles pay only a road-usage fee via the Gas tax, but they do not pay for the pollution and the environment they are
consuming. Similiarly, EV's pay a huge environmental benefit, but are not paying the road tax as shown
in the graphic above right.
Any consideration of adding a road-use fees to EV's should also end the
Free-Ride that fossil fueled vehicles get with resepect to their wear-and-tear on the environment.
Its time for an Adjustment!
IEEE National Committee on Transportation and Aerospace
EV Association of DC
wb4apr at amsat dot org
See also the page on EV Charging Everywhere using existing 115v outlets in garages
See also my Solar PHEV, a work in progress...
This page represents
my off duty professional and avocational involvement with EV's, with the IEEE National
Committee on Transportation and Aerospace and my public comments to the Maryland
EV Infrastructure Committee and other EV venues.