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They should have a "battery tax", given that someone has to recycle and dispose of the waste. For a car that lasts only 8 yrs, this is an $800 tax. The total co

by 001sky 13y ago

They should have a "battery tax", given that someone has to recycle and dispose of the waste. For a car that lasts only 8 yrs, this is an $800 tax. The total cost[1] of a camry is about $8K a year, or $64K over the timeframe. With about $16K in petrol costs baked in, of which maybe 1/8 of the costs or about 2K would be inflated by petrol taxes. This makes the savings of driving an electric car still about 60% on just taxes/government fees if you lump them together. Its really netither here nor there in the big scheme of things and won't move the needle either way. [1] ie. operating costs and depreciation, net basis.

mikeash 13y ago
Aren't these batteries filled with valuable materials that can be recycled? You don't need a disposal tax for something like that.
mullingitover 13y ago
> They should have a "battery tax", given that someone has to recycle and dispose of the waste. This is a total non-issue. The manufacturers will happily take those old batteries off your hands and recycle them free of charge.
- 001sky 13y ago
  free of charge Not quite. The new, replacement battery is quite expesnive and sold at a high margin. So this is not "free", nor does it pay into the public good (domain) in any way to offset the carbon footprint of building the car (smelting steel, aluminum, mining etc), or the transportation damage to the road-system (a function of weight x miles, not emissions). The good news is that current cells are highly recylable in the technological sense, so its not like they are hazardous spent fuel rods. But the usage (mileage) will be proportionate to battery life. So it makes sense to tax the fuel-supply of the electric car in the same way as the fuel tax. That is, if you believe in those things (public goods, etc).
  - mullingitover 13y ago
    > The new, replacement battery is quite expesnive and sold at a high margin. That's beside the point. The battery recycling is free. Of course the battery replacement costs money, but the battery already comes with a fee: sales tax. The supply chain for producing the battery is likewise taxed in various ways. > So it makes sense to tax the fuel-supply of the electric car in the same way as the fuel tax. Then why are you talking about taxing the battery? The battery is the container, not the fuel. Electricity is already taxed.
sgustard 13y ago
My gas-burning SUV turns into a 3-ton pile of waste after several years too. But it has the added benefit of spewing some of that waste into the air during its lifetime.

by 001sky 13y ago

mikeash 13y ago

Aren't these batteries filled with valuable materials that can be recycled? You don't need a disposal tax for something like that.

mullingitover 13y ago

> They should have a "battery tax", given that someone has to recycle and dispose of the waste. This is a total non-issue. The manufacturers will happily take those old batteries off your hands and recycle them free of charge.

001sky 13y ago
free of charge Not quite. The new, replacement battery is quite expesnive and sold at a high margin. So this is not "free", nor does it pay into the public good (domain) in any way to offset the carbon footprint of building the car (smelting steel, aluminum, mining etc), or the transportation damage to the road-system (a function of weight x miles, not emissions). The good news is that current cells are highly recylable in the technological sense, so its not like they are hazardous spent fuel rods. But the usage (mileage) will be proportionate to battery life. So it makes sense to tax the fuel-supply of the electric car in the same way as the fuel tax. That is, if you believe in those things (public goods, etc).
- mullingitover 13y ago
  > The new, replacement battery is quite expesnive and sold at a high margin. That's beside the point. The battery recycling is free. Of course the battery replacement costs money, but the battery already comes with a fee: sales tax. The supply chain for producing the battery is likewise taxed in various ways. > So it makes sense to tax the fuel-supply of the electric car in the same way as the fuel tax. Then why are you talking about taxing the battery? The battery is the container, not the fuel. Electricity is already taxed.

sgustard 13y ago

My gas-burning SUV turns into a 3-ton pile of waste after several years too. But it has the added benefit of spewing some of that waste into the air during its lifetime.