To the editor: His article, “As Electric Vehicles Gain Ground, How Will California Pay to Repair Roads?” frames the choice as having bad roads and cleaner air, or better roads and dirty air, unless we raise gas taxes and charge EV drivers more.
You point out that California has some of the worst pavement in the country, even though drivers here already pay the highest gas tax in the country.
There is no mention in the article of a better solution: eliminating reckless subsidies for fossil fuel companies and instead charging them higher carbon fees.
It is foolish to punish EV drivers while at the same time trying to incentivize us to do everything we can to mitigate climate change. Public transport users who use the roads also do not pay gasoline tax. The state analyst's report did not consider the health care costs, natural disasters and environmental degradation that electric vehicles and public transportation help mitigate.
The short-sighted approach of imposing higher rates on clean energy users reminds me of how our state recently discouraged home solar installation. We continue to obstruct the way to achieve our own imperative objectives.
Kathy Harty, Sierra Madre
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To the editor: There is a simple solution to this problem, although the last time it was tried it cost the governor his job.
Simply increase the state's vehicle license fee to offset the loss of gas tax revenue due to increased electric vehicle ownership. In addition to basing the rate on the value of the car, it should be based on the weight of the car.
Additionally, just as cars need periodic smog checks, they should also have periodic mileage checks; The more miles you drive, the higher the rate.
I have always been a strong supporter of electric vehicles, but until everyone has access to a home charger, they will never be a practical tool for reducing emissions. Let's continue with hybrids, which significantly reduce emissions.
The perfect should not be the enemy of the good.
Harry Davis, Los Angeles
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To the editor: I have driven electric cars for 11 years and believe that electric vehicle drivers should pay their fair share for road maintenance. A rate based on miles driven and gross vehicle weight should be implemented. This rate should apply to all vehicles, not just electric vehicles, since they are factors that determine road wear.
There should also be a tax on petrol and diesel that reflects the cost of carbon emissions and air pollution. These emissions are driving climate change, which is damaging our roads and all life on Earth.
Wayne Morgan, Ventura
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To the editor: Taxes serve two purposes: to raise funds and to encourage socially beneficial behavior.
If we want to get California off fossil fuels, why not make it more expensive to drive a gasoline-powered car so that motorists, if not environmentally motivated, are financially incentivized to trade in their gas-guzzling vehicle for a electric vehicle?
Emily Loughran, Los Angeles
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To the editor: I have an electric vehicle. It's lovely to drive past gas stations and peer intently at the coal-belching gas guzzlers.
But the tax on your gasoline purchases funds road repairs and I pay nothing. One solution is the $108 flat fee added to annual EV registration for newer cars. That is not equitable and I will tell you why.
I drive my electric vehicle less than 5,000 miles a year. I know this because my insurance company requires me to report annual mileage to keep my low-use rate reduced.
Do I have to pay the same registration fee as an electric vehicle driver who drives 20,000 miles a year?
Fees added to electric vehicle registration to offset lost gas tax revenue should be based on miles driven. All of these electric vehicles are rolling computers; It would be simple to charge the annual mileage to the state to calculate the annual fee.
Jerrold Coleman, Santa Clarita
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To the editor: The main reason we should encourage the transition to electric vehicles is, of course, to reduce the greenhouse gases that threaten our climate and the survival of the human race.
But here are two other reasons, less mentioned, to encourage it.
First, electric vehicles reduce local air pollution. Think about how much more pleasant a walk on a hot day down a busy downtown street would be if the air were completely free of vehicle exhaust. Yes, tires and brakes produce particulate pollution, but future technology will hopefully solve this problem.
The other benefit, which I have never seen talked about, would be the reduction in noise pollution. Imagine, again, walking down a busy street and hearing only the soft hiss of electric vehicles instead of the rattle of insufficiently muffled explosions.
Alan Holleb, Santa Monica
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To the editor: As you state, fuel tax revenue will fall as the transportation economy shifts to electric power.
Dealing with this is very simple: transfer the 57.9 cents per gallon tax to a comparable amount of electric energy. As EV market shares grow, any shortfall from current EV registration fees would be made up (no pun intended).
Problem solved.
Edward Du, Los Angeles
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To the editor: Instead of a complicated GPS system, why not simply indicate the car's mileage on the annual registration and pay the tax based on the difference with the previous year's registration?
This would work similarly when title is transferred from one owner to another.
Richard Melniker, Los Angeles
