Plug In America and Seattle Electric Vehicle Association testified against this last year; I guess we get to do so again.
Here is an excerpt from a message I just sent to a House representative on the subject (just representing myself):
It is true that EV drivers don’t currently pay a road tax. No EV driver that I know is trying to avoid that; in fact the Seattle EV Association has issued a proclamation saying they are willing to pay road taxes, and they have even proposed a voluntary system. So I am not opposed to that part of the spirit of the bill.
But the implementation of the bill is problematic in so many ways:
1. EVs that this will apply to are very few. It may well cost as much to administer this bill as the state will receive in revenues.
2. This bill ONLY applies to EVs. It doesn’t apply to anything else that is lowering gas tax revenues—biodiesel, hydrogen, CNG, LNG, hybrids, plug-in electric hybrids, light-weight efficient gas vehicles, bicycles, a poor economy, etc. In addition to the focus on EVs being curious, it seems like a single solution that addresses the whole problem would be much preferred to a patchwork of little laws for each case.
3. A flat tax on EVs doesn’t make any more sense than a flat tax on gas cars. Road wear is caused by miles and weight, so tax that rather than the powertrain. A flat tax is unfair to those who have conversions with very low range (currently a majority of EVs in the state!), those with multiple cars that drive them infrequently, and those that work hard to live close, combine and avoid trips to avoid congestion. Part of the purpose of the gas tax is to encourage fewer miles, but a flat tax favors those who put on more miles.
4. The rate is too high. Battery-only EVs have more limited range than gas cars; so almost all are purchased by multi-car households. The electric cars are taken for short trips, and the gas cars are taken for long trips. So these households still pay gas taxes for the long trips. The most-often replaced gas car is...a Toyota Prius. The gas taxes on a typical Prius are under $100 a year; and in the spirit of the gas tax, those with more efficient cars should be rewarded with lower taxes, not taxed more.
5. Washington has cheap, clean electricity; so there is a huge economic advantage to having our citizens purchase EVs and buy local fuel instead of foreign oil. It also does a great deal for our air quality. But EVs are currently more expensive than gas cars, and consumers are reluctant to try expensive new technology, so Washington has laws on the books to encourage this, including a sales tax waiver. This new tax will work against existing laws.
