I think this lends credence to the article’s assertion that the TX fees are disproportionally high. IIRC, they‘re charging EV owners 400 and the TX gas tax is lower than NJs.
I think when re-registering your vehicle, a tax based on miles traveled would be fair. Thinking about it more, Texas' law seems unduly punitive to EV owners. You know me well enough that I have issues with aspects of both parties. I will never understand the irrational hate most R's have for EVs, and it is a huge blindspot for them IMO.
The way I see it, with a shout out to Stealers Wheel- I'm voting for your meme:Unfortunately so much of the GOP ethos seems grounded in the 1950s. Embracing electric vehicles may be a few decades away, for them.
It sucks, because the party's predisposition to pander to the Christian right will undoubtedly result in us hearing, at some point in the future, that "electric cars is The Devil's work!"
At which point I will, of course, run out and buy 2 of them.
It's not hard to understand why R's hate EVs. They're in Big Oil's pocket and more R states are dependent on the petro industry for jobs and income.
That's true. But then a change-over to EVs is inevitable at this point. There is almost no chance that the vast majority of cars on the roads will not be all-electric at some point.
Agree on the per mile and weight. The most important thing is that they have to totally drop the gas tax at the pump when they do this. Just don't know how they would be able to verify your yearly mileage and collect the money.Pretty sure the data on our travel habits is already for sale to anybody who wants it. So at this point, pay per mile might be a reasonable ask. Or pay per mile and weight, since heavier vehicles cause more wear to roads and bridges.
But if they go for pay per mile, weight and speed, because higher speeds probably also creates more wear, well, that’s where I draw the line. Leave speed out of it.
They trust us to self-report a ton of stuff on our taxes, and conduct audits to spot-check. A new tax form that asked for odometer reading each year, and had a worksheet for reducing that YoY total by stuff like out-of-state travel, would probably do the trick.
you get taxed for every gallon of gas you buy. its the same idea. you're an idiot.
While the article makes valid points, it doesn't matter. People have been complaining about huge fuel-inefficient, deadly, cars for decades. Despite that, Americans have gravitated towards huge pickup trucks and SUVs.
This isn't surprising to many of us and I'm glad these investigations are taking place.
The article says they're digging the 24" wheels. Prospective owners might want to look up the cost of a replacement set of tires for such wheels. I did for the 22" wheels on the SUV I've got on order and TireRack had one set of all-season tires for it. At $4000 a set.
i would assume that such a heavy EV would be going thru those tires quicker than a gas powered car also
I would think, yes. If I were ordering an Escalade, I'd go for smaller wheels with more sidewall (assuming it's an option) which would mean more tire choices with less cost and an even softer ride. It's not a vehicle intended for performance driving so there's absolutely no good reason to spec such huge wheels with lower profile tires.
I agree that ADMs are BS. People are paying 5 figure ADMS for Kia Tellurides. It's pretty nuts and it sucks.
