Oklahoma DOT Studies Charging Vehicles by mileage

[SoonerP226]

I doubt they will raise the tax at all. They want the revenue from the trucks. I-35 and I-40 are major truck routes and many are able to drive right through without needing to buy fuel. Not all, but many.

In that case, we should require all semis to stay in the right lane, then put all those unmarked cars to good use writing tickets on the ones that move across the line. Maybe even impounding the ones that roll in the left lane at 15 under the speed limit for miles on end…

 

[CHenry]

In that case, we should require all semis to stay in the right lane, then put all those unmarked cars to good use writing tickets on the ones that move across the line. Maybe even impounding the ones that roll in the left lane at 15 under the speed limit for miles on end…

Thats already a law, not being enforced.

 

[HoLeChit]

No, that wont happen. This issue they want to address is travelers from other states that pass through by the millions per year and never stop for fuel, thus avoiding fuel tax. Mostly trucks which do the most damage to our roads. Not that they do so on purpose but they simply can because they are carrying 600 gal. of diesel and if they fill up in another state, they drive plumb through OK with no reason to stop. I've done same in other states, fill up in Ponca City and dont stop again till I'm in NE. not paying any tax in KS.

Isnt that what the IFTA is more or less for?

 

[CHenry]

Isnt that what the IFTA is more or less for?

Not for state taxes. Thats Federal and I dont know the language of that agreement.

 

[TerryMiller]

People using public charging stations already pay via a "pay-as-you-go" system with a credit card for their EV "fuel". Why not just mandate that new and existing home-based EV charging stations must include a KW/HR metering function - a miniature version of the electric meter on your house. Then we can all make our choice:

(1) Drive our ICE and pay road taxes at the pump just like we do now;
(2) Charge our EV at a public station using a credit card which could include road taxes; or
(3) Since EV owners ALREADY have to have a home charging station, add a metering function which would add road taxes to monthly electric bills based on how much power is consumed by his at-home charger.

Seems simple to me to implement, would require NO mods to existing ICE or EV vehicles, no $ charges to existing ICE owners, no requirement to track mileage, and would only require a one-time modification to existing and future home-based EV chargers (add the metering function). The only taxpayer cost might be retrofitting metering to existing home chargers.

The only people that are left out of this equation as best I can tell are those few who charge off a regular 120V or 240 plug in cord overnight, but I doubt there are that many of those, and most of those are hybrid owners, who drive most of their longer trips on ICE anyway, and are thus covered by (1) above.

Change my mind.

Keep this in mind. Back about 5 years ago, we worked at a small RV park in southern Utah. That RV park was listed as an approved Tesla charging station, but they didn't have any Tesla chargers. If a Tesla driver wanted a charge-up, they used the adapters that were provided with the car and plugged into a regular RV socket. Their time of charging varied depending on which socket in the RV box they used. 50-amp could charge them in about 2 hours, 30-amp charged in about 6 to 8 hours, and 20-amp required an all night stay.

Basically, at an RV park, they could pay with cash or if by card, it might not have the taxing ability because the card would be charged in the office and not at a super charger.

 

[Shadowrider]

Only way to do it fairly, IMO...

Plug in EVs = mileage
ICE = fuel tax only
Hybrids = both, but at a reduced or variable rate on the mileage tax.

 

[dennishoddy]

Most of the north east states are like that.

Yep, When I was in New Jersey, you had to hit a toll booth every ten miles or so.

 

[SoonerP226]

Only way to do it fairly, IMO...

Plug in EVs = mileage
ICE = fuel tax only
Hybrids = both, but at a reduced or variable rate on the mileage tax.

I don't like the idea of tracking, particularly by the gov't, but there has to be a way for electric vehicles to pull their weight for road maintenance. The least intrusive way to do it is to report your BEV's mileage when you renew its tag, then apply for a refund for any mileage that you can document as having been outside the state's borders.

Given the current state of BEVs, I'm thinking there's not going to be a lot of out-of-state miles except for folks who live near the borders, so tracking everybody because a few take their Teslas on cross-country excursions just seems like a massive overreach. Just do raw odometer reporting and let the highway vagabonds work on getting their money back.

 

[Shadowrider]

@SoonerP226

Yea no. I wasn't thinking tracking or surveillance. They could do a mileage affidavit with the tag or something like that. Most EVs aren't going to be logging a lot of out of state miles.

 

[SoonerP226]

@SoonerP226

Yea no. I wasn't thinking tracking or surveillance. They could do a mileage affidavit with the tag or something like that. Most EVs aren't going to be logging a lot of out of state miles.

Sorry--I didn't intend to imply that you were proposing tracking. Clumsy Englshes are clumsy...