EVs: Level the Playing Field

In a recent Daily Herald article on EVs, it stated that EVs pay

an extra $100 each year because they do not pay gasoline

taxes, which are used to maintain the roads.

However, a regular internal combustible engine (ICE) vehicle,

as stated in the DH article, will pay $255 in road taxes.

If an ICE vehicle is driven 15,000 miles, gets 20 mpg and the gas

tax is $0.454 per gallon, the owner will pay $341 per year in taxes.

If the ICE vehicle is driven 12,000 miles, the taxes are $272 per

year. That is about 3 times what the EV owner pays. In reality,

most cars on the road today are about 13 years old and do not

come close to getting 20 mpg, so the costs for an ICE vehicle

are going to be higher.

In addition, EVs are heavier and cause more damage to the roads

than ICE vehicles. A surcharge should be added for this.

Because the EV, if recharged at home, requires more current than

a normal home would take, the infrastructure must be improved to

manage the additional load. This would involve bigger transformers,

larger diameter lines, trenching services, and local permit fees.

A special fund should be created and funded by the EV owners

so that the infrastructure can be improved to service their EVs.

Also, first responders require special training to

manage vehicle accidents involving EVs. Some amount of special

funding should be set aside for this training as EVs become

more prevalent.

Considering the above, the EV owners should do everything they

can to level the playing field.

John Schofield

Schaumburg