VW to spend $10M on Charging stations (USA)

Powder Hound

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Overall, Sommer's main emphasis was on the need for increased government support of electric cars.
Translation: we want you taxpayers to subsidize the people that buy our cars. Even if you don't want one of these, we want to use the government to carve a chunk out of you for our benefit anyway.

My reply: <bleep> you, and the car you drove. In the same manner that I oppose public financing of sport arenas, I should not have to pay for something that I will never use. It is unfair, unethical, immoral, and would be unconstitutional if we had but a few wisps of intelligence and morality left in congress and the judiciary. This would be an expenditure that will benefit a few privileged people, not anywhere near even a majority. That ain't no way to run a railroad, boys.

Ugh.

PH
 

South Coast Guy

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Mattapoisett, MA
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Translation: we want you taxpayers to subsidize the people that buy our cars. Even if you don't want one of these, we want to use the government to carve a chunk out of you for our benefit anyway.
My reply: <bleep> you, and the car you drove. In the same manner that I oppose public financing of sport arenas, I should not have to pay for something that I will never use. It is unfair, unethical, immoral, and would be unconstitutional if we had but a few wisps of intelligence and morality left in congress and the judiciary. This would be an expenditure that will benefit a few privileged people, not anywhere near even a majority. That ain't no way to run a railroad, boys.
Ugh.
PH
Very short-sighted. Tax payers have subsidized the ownership of cars for years. Who paid for highways, interstates, etc? Tax payers. Can't you picture a future in which a majority of cars are powered by electricity?

Imagine two technological breakthroughs happen: 1. Batteries improve so the range of even the least expensive electric is 250 miles on a charge. 2. Charging improves so a full charge takes 15 minutes or less.
 

mijdirtyjeep

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north muskegon
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Very short-sighted. Tax payers have subsidized the ownership of cars for years. Who paid for highways, interstates, etc? Tax payers. Can't you picture a future in which a majority of cars are powered by electricity?

Imagine two technological breakthroughs happen: 1. Batteries improve so the range of even the least expensive electric is 250 miles on a charge. 2. Charging improves so a full charge takes 15 minutes or less.

We use the roads, so I can see paying for them.

He is saying he does not own an electric car, so why does he have to pay for their energy station. Also they are not paying road tax "at least that I know of yet", so the tax I pay at the pump is going to improve the roads they are driving on.

As far as 250mile range, That is still not going to work for me. We head to Florida "1200mile/one way" once a year. We also head to Colorado once a year "again 1200miles". I work for a living, so those are on week or two long vacations. I am not going to waste my time at a plug in every 250miles for 15min.
 

bhtooefr

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About 60ish% of road tax is actually paid for out of general funds (that is, you pay for it whether you drive a F-350, a TDI, an EV, or a bicycle), and not all road taxation is at the pump, some of it is at registration. EVs aren't exempt from registration.
 

bhtooefr

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Newark, OH
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No, that's not what electric cars not having to pay a fuel tax means.

Electric cars are exempted from fuel taxes because they have benefits that reduce costs in some departments, that make it worth them not paying on a fuel tax basis. A car running on red diesel does not have those benefits.

Not that fuel tax is a sensical way to pay for the roads anyway, because the most damaging vehicles are far more efficient per pound than cars.
 

Mike_04GolfTDI

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I foresee a tax on batteries.

Thank about it... When the majority of cars are electric, which I believe is the inevitable future, people will be able to generate their own electricity almost for free, other than a one time cost in infrastructure for things like windmills, solar, or what have you. That's untaxed electricity.

To use that electricity in an automobile you need to store it in a battery. Like gasoline, the battery will be the thing that is difficult to make at home in your basement, so that is what will be taxed. Battery manufacturing facilities would have a hard time operating in a clandestine manner to escape government scrutiny, so they are the natural target. I'm talking about complicated modern batteries like LiPo, etc. Something that people aren't likely to be able to make themselves. Also, the battery is a wear item that will need replacing multiple times throughout the life of the car, so it is a better target than the car itself, when it comes to taxation.
 
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mijdirtyjeep

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north muskegon
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Not that fuel tax is a sensical way to pay for the roads anyway, because the most damaging vehicles are far more efficient per pound than cars.
Agreed, around here it is the Amish. Those horses poop all over the roads, and the metal shoes on their feet sure put a hurting on the asphalt. The worst roads in the county are the roads that lead from their houses to their places of work!
 

El Dobro

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I foresee a tax on batteries.

Also, the battery is a wear item that will need replacing multiple times throughout the life of the car, so it is a better target than the car itself, when it comes to taxation.
Probably won't be a whole lot of tax income there, on the average, the batteries are living quite some time. Besides, when the batteries are purchased, you're already paying a sales tax.
 

kltk1

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Kinda makes the case for electrics having to have to pay a mileage tax at registration renewal time. Seeing that fossil fueled vehicles are paying for it at the pump, the electrics are going to have to pay their fair share someplace. The governments are letting them get away with it now to promote the sale of electrics, but if they wind up becoming mainstream (And that's still remains to be seen), at some point the government is going to have to raise the tax revenue they're going to lose on fossil fuel taxes somewhere.
 

MrSprdSheet

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Kinda makes the case for electrics having to have to pay a mileage tax at registration renewal time. Seeing that fossil fueled vehicles are paying for it at the pump, the electrics are going to have to pay their fair share someplace. The governments are letting them get away with it now to promote the sale of electrics, but if they wind up becoming mainstream (And that's still remains to be seen), at some point the government is going to have to raise the tax revenue they're going to lose on fossil fuel taxes somewhere.
States, like VA, are already tacking reg fees on hybrids/electrics. The question vs. gas taxes, is the fairness of a reg fee on that driver who doesn't use their car much? Tack it on to my easy-pass. Done.

I wonder if the EV tax-credits will reach a 1 billion this year? That's a small, but obvious, amount versus that portion of our 500+ billion annual defense bill, you might want to assign oil security.
 
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