Road Use Charge for Electric Vehicles

[DuaneMac]

I was just reading that here in PA, there will be an additional fee tacked on to your annual EV registration. $200 for total electric, $50 for Hybrid. I know some of you folks have these types of vehicles, just curious if you have a similar surcharge where you live. They get you coming and going…

Road User Charge

Road User Charge

www.pa.gov

 

[Brenda T]

I was just reading that here in PA, there will be an additional fee tacked on to your annual EV registration. $200 for total electric, $50 for Hybrid. I know some of you folks have these types of vehicles, just curious if you have a similar surcharge where you live. They get you coming and going…

Road User Charge

Road User Charge

www.pa.gov

Is the idea to make up for the fuel taxes they are not receiving from gasoline that EV users are not buying?

Edit - dumb question. Sorry, I replied to your post before reading the attachment.

 

[LMichaels]

I was just reading that here in PA, there will be an additional fee tacked on to your annual EV registration. $200 for total electric, $50 for Hybrid. I know some of you folks have these types of vehicles, just curious if you have a similar surcharge where you live. They get you coming and going…

Road User Charge

Road User Charge

www.pa.gov

Yes here in IL IIRC it's $150 or $200 tacked on to state yearly registration. It's still WAY WAY WAY cheaper than buying fuel (especially in our tax ravaged state). Right now for instance avg gasoline prices I see are still close to $3.60 gal. If I go a few miles up the road to WI, I see pricing more like $2.75. Nearly $1 cheaper!
Now extrapolate my "fuel" cost on my new BZ vs the Highlander I had. Recently I had to run my car about 145 miles. Had I been using my HL at about 19 MPG avg it would have used just shy of 8 gal of gasoline. Now, 8 gal X $3.55 = $28.40 in gasoline costs alone. Add in the higher maint cost of the ICE car vs my electric. Now, when I came home and plugged my car in to charge (or "fill up") it took about $2.50 worth of electricity.
Now add in the wonderful performance, extremely quiet ride, effortless driving....................And regardless of the higher registration fees you can understand why I've never enjoyed a car as much as my electric one. (and believe me I've owned A LOT of cars in my life).
In any case my BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle) is nearly paying for itself

 

[AndyK]

I’ve heard about these fees for a long time but never noticed an impact due to me never having an EV.
As much as I don’t care for taxes this currently seems like one of the few fair user taxes I know about.

You know what gets me is marine and inland lake fuel prices.
They don’t pay any road tax or hi-way improvement taxes after they collect the $2-$3 extra per gallon that they charge.

 

[BPratt]

I had a Prius about 12 years ago and could consistently get 50 miles a gallon without annoying other drivers too much.

What was discussed was changing a per mile fee that you would be liable for once you went to renew a license or registration. That didn’t fly.

What we see now in Massachusetts is electronic tolling which is probably easier to expand since it’s a use tax and isn’t based on fuel used

 

[JKalchik]

We do have to pay for transportation infrastructure somehow. I've been expecting this for years, ever since EVs were beginning to become commercially available.

I am absolutely not a fan of the data collection that gets practices with any kind of ID transponder. I can think of far too many ways that data can be misused. Unfortunately, I also do not have an alternative suggestion.

 

[DanHoo]

in CA the road tax is 59 cents per gallon. If they added a $200 per EV charge that would be the same as tax on 340 gallons.

for a car that gets 25 MPG, 340 gallons is only 8500 miles.

 

[LMichaels]

I know we're the second highest fuel tax in the country. Not sure where CA sits on that pile, but IIRC we have something like $.70 gal (maybe more). Plus the counties are free to add whatever they feel they want ON TOP of the TAXED price so we pay a tax on a tax. We're sure special here

 

[Joe Anshien]

Been paying extra on my annual registration in VA for years. At first they gave us benefits like driving on HOV lanes without extra people then took away all the benefits and gave us penalties.

 

[Michael Chen]

California charges $108 per electric vehicle for transportation infrastructure improvement. Fuel tax is 59.6 cents per gallon.

We don’t have a per mile tax… yet. My understanding is that it is in the works.

 

[John F Ford]

Alabama has a sur charge for electric vehicles. There is no fee for hybrids.

 

[LMichaels]

Our Guv has the surcharge on BEV and PHEV but not HEV vehicles. But, I know he wants it on all "electrified" vehicles to varying degrees

 

[BPratt]

I stopped thinking about electric cars after I spoke to my insurance agent.

I was quoted $8500 per year for a Tesla sedan for full insurance not the minimum requirement in Massachusetts

 

[LMichaels]

I stopped thinking about electric cars after I spoke to my insurance agent.

I was quoted $8500 per year for a Tesla sedan for full insurance not the minimum requirement in Massachusetts

I think over and above my 14 yo Highlander my cost of insurance went up no more than $350 a year. I think some agents do that on purpose. Likely due to ignorance or fear peddling. IDK. Even my SIL noted his Tesla cost barely any more to inure than his crappy old Hyundai Sonata

 

[Ray J.]

Yes here in IL IIRC it's $150 or $200 tacked on to state yearly registration. It's still WAY WAY WAY cheaper than buying fuel (especially in our tax ravaged state). Right now for instance avg gasoline prices I see are still close to $3.60 gal. If I go a few miles up the road to WI, I see pricing more like $2.75. Nearly $1 cheaper!
Now extrapolate my "fuel" cost on my new BZ vs the Highlander I had. Recently I had to run my car about 145 miles. Had I been using my HL at about 19 MPG avg it would have used just shy of 8 gal of gasoline. Now, 8 gal X $3.55 = $28.40 in gasoline costs alone. Add in the higher maint cost of the ICE car vs my electric. Now, when I came home and plugged my car in to charge (or "fill up") it took about $2.50 worth of electricity.
Now add in the wonderful performance, extremely quiet ride, effortless driving....................And regardless of the higher registration fees you can understand why I've never enjoyed a car as much as my electric one. (and believe me I've owned A LOT of cars in my life).
In any case my BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle) is nearly paying for itself

With a cost of only $2.50 to charge your EV, would make it difficult to justify investing in a solar system to charge your car.

It's a matter of time before Illinois jacks up the cost of EV plates.

I work in the power plant industry and they like to see the sales of EV's, more electricity to sell.

 

[LMichaels]

With a cost of only $2.50 to charge your EV, would make it difficult to justify investing in a solar system to charge your car.

It's a matter of time before Illinois jacks up the cost of EV plates.

I work in the power plant industry and they like to see the sales of EV's, more electricity to sell.

Cost of EV plates is jacked up over ICE plates. Noted earlier my myself my EV plates are about $200 more than gas plates. They have to walk a fine line on this. If they go nuts they'll shut down EV sales and then get basically nothing from us.