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This is a direct replacement for the gasoline taxes which pay for our roads, so $130 for most drivers is actually a bargain in the US too. EVs are also much ha
by smt88 5mo ago
This is a direct replacement for the gasoline taxes which pay for our roads, so $130 for most drivers is actually a bargain in the US too.
EVs are also much harsher on roads because of their weight.
- cosmic_cheese 5mo agoThe weight gap between EV and ICE is often exaggerated. In fact, within ICE vehicles, the gap between sedans/hatchbacks/compact crossovers and giant SUVs and trucks is larger, and yet for some reason we aren’t taxing drivers of Suburbans and F-150s accordingly. If we applied this logic fairly we should be pushing people to right-size their vehicles regardless of fuel type.
- jonfw 5mo agoWe are discussing a gas tax, and there is a strong correlation between gas consumption and weight, which implies more taxes for trucks and SUVs
- atmavatar 5mo agoThat's true, but gas consumption by weight is more of a linear function, while road wear follows the fourth power law by axle weight. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_power_law https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_power_law As an example: A 2026 Honda Accord LX has a combined gas mileage around 32 mpg and a curb weight of 3,239 lbs. See: https://automobiles.honda.com/accord-sedan/specs-features-trim-comparison https://automobiles.honda.com/accord-sedan/specs-features-tr... A 2025 Ford F-150 XLT has a combined gas mileage around 20 mpg and a curb weight of 4,941 lbs. See: https://www.edmunds.com/ford/f-150/2025/features-specs/ https://www.edmunds.com/ford/f-150/2025/features-specs/ Keeping things simple and calculating the axle weight to the fourth powers of both vehicles, the F-150 causes 5.4x the road wear of the Honda Accord while using only 1.6x the gas. The reason this doesn't matter so much, though, is that the types of trucks used for shipping goods, when loaded, cause on the order of 10^4 the road wear, dwarfing any differences between standard commuter vehicles, which is why commercial trucks have to stop at weigh stations.
- manwe150 5mo agoThe big trucks also have a lot more tires / tire surface area, to mitigate that. IIUC, the weigh stations are to ensure they aren’t overloading the truck, so that road wear is comparable instead of being that vastly greater
- eli 5mo agoWe absolutely are doing that at the state and local level. Vehicle registration fees vary by weight and type of vehicle most places.
- manwe150 5mo agoRedditors claim there is no evidence the weight is relevant to the wear rate of the roads, since weights have become comparable to a similar car and generally less than the average ICE truck, but that the superior acceleration of EV can be harsher on intersections https://www.reddit.com/r/electriccars/comments/1do2rtu/what_about_road_maintenance_for_an_electric_car/ https://www.reddit.com/r/electriccars/comments/1do2rtu/what_...
- marcosdumay 5mo agoWell, that's a US-only argument.
- mikestew 5mo agoso $130 for most drivers is actually a bargain in the US too. I’d have to drive an EV about 35% more miles each year to make it to break even on tax versus our 35 mpg ICE car. It’s no bargain, it’s punishment for driving an EV. EVs are also much harsher on roads because of their weight. My Hyundai Ioniq 5 weighs less than the most popular vehicle in the US: the F-150. I don’t see those getting special taxes.
- wil421 5mo agoThe F-150 is not the most popular vehicle or even truck. The F-Series is, which includes all the bigger versions and fleet models. How do you pay more taxes on EVs when you factor in gas taxes?
- mikestew 5mo agoHow do you pay more taxes on EVs when you factor in gas taxes? Huh? Simple math? $MILES_PER_YEAR/$200 (EV tax in WA) vs. $GALLONS_USED * $0.18 in the ICE car. I pay more in taxes to run the EV in a year than I do for equivalent miles in a 35mpg ICE. IOW, if I drove the Scion xB all the time, I’d pay less tax.
- jquery 5mo agoThe alternative is them checking the odometer each year on the EVs, which would be fairer, but I feel like Americans would complain that’s an invasion of their privacy or something. Or it would upset the rural voters who have disproportionate power in this country.
- deltoidmaximus 5mo agoModern cars are full of phone home shenanigans, many of them with cameras and ToS that allow them to observe everything and sell all of the data to anyone that can rub two cents together. IIRC laws coming into effect next year mandate even more of it. If Americans care about privacy of their cars they have a funny way of showing it. The odometer read would actually be a great privacy improvement compared to that. I think they should just tax tires. It sounds easier to administer and if it was a natural tax it would alleviate the main weakness it seemed to have: That's you buy your tires in the state with the lowest tire tax.
- neilcj 5mo agoSpeak for your Tesla. My i3 weighs slightly less than my partner's Mini Cooper.
- tzs 5mo ago$130 is the amount of tax that an average person would pay if they drove in ICE car that got under 19 mpg. No way is that a bargain.