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brobinson206 t1_j08yz3b wrote

Reply to comment by SereneDreams03 in Washington drivers would pay 2.5 cents per mile under recommendation by Hyperion1144

What do you drive?

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SereneDreams03 t1_j08z6up wrote

A midsized SUV, why?

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brobinson206 t1_j090s7l wrote

The more gas you consume, the more you will pay in gas tax. So, if you have an SUV, you’ll end up paying more. If you’re a heavy driver (lots of miles), you’ll pay more.

Let’s assume you drive 10,000 miles a year. At 20 mpg (which is generous for an SUV) that’s 500 gallons of gas per year. At $0.49 per gallon tax, that’s $245 dollars per year.

Let’s say you drive 12,000 miles per year at 17 mph (perhaps better assumptions), that’s $345 per year, closer to your estimate.

A Prius driver doing 10,000 miles per year pays $117, less than an EV.

So, perhaps it feels unfair to you because you drive a lot or get low gas mileage. If you drove something more efficient, you would be more in line with the EV surcharge. I think it’s unfair to say that the EV charge is unfair because it doesn’t align with your consumption.

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Mistyslate t1_j096krb wrote

EVs are heavy because of the battery weight and damage the roads more than Prius. Thus, they need to pay more.

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CamDaHuMan t1_j0bwuso wrote

EVs don’t damage the road more than a Prius in any meaningful way.

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Mistyslate t1_j0by62v wrote

Vehicle weight is one of the primary factors for road damage. EVs are heavier than comparable sized combustion engine vehicles.

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CamDaHuMan t1_j0byc90 wrote

The differences are between a dump truck and a car, even a hummer and a Prius just isn’t that big of a difference.

Leaf is about 3 tons. A prius is 4. A dump truck is 36.

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Lupine-lover t1_j0bwzfs wrote

Second this… they’re out there pounding the roads too. Just as hard on the infrastructure.

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brobinson206 t1_j099y0p wrote

Not universally. Most EVs are sedans and most gas vehicles on the road are SUVs. They weigh about the same.

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SereneDreams03 t1_j09auuu wrote

>I think it’s unfair to say that the EV charge is unfair because it doesn’t align with your consumption.

That is not why I am saying is unfair. As the article indicates, even gas-powered vehicles are becoming more fuel efficient. So, if you combine that with the fact there are more EVs on the road, that means there is less tax dollars coming in to fund the roads. So, my point was if I owned an EV and was driving an equal amount of mileage, I would be paying far less in taxes. Which becomes a problem for our state as a whole if we want to continue funding our roads.

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