Hybrid Surcharge

[Erchphs]

Hi Mike from Ohio here. I just got my letter from the DMV to renew my plates on my 2013 energi. In Ohio it is around $45 for most cars for a year.  A standard CMax gets charges an additional $100 gas tax surcharge and the Energi gets a $200 surcharge.  This is crazy. The gas tax in Ohio was 32.5 cents per gallon.  When they upped it 6cents per gallon this past year they decided hybrids had to pay a WHOLE LOT MORE> I dont really know how much more I am paying but since I only get 18 miles on a charge nowadays and average around 43mpg total, I feel like I am paying the state an extra 150-180 more in the surcharge than what I should be if I was just paying the normal 6 cent increase like everyone else. I am retired and drive about 5000 miles per year which makes it sting in more.  Have other states done this to CMax owners as well? If so what are the surcharges you pay? I see that ALEC (funded by the Koch Brothers) was behind the writing of the legislation, and if it hasn’t hit your state yet, just wait for it.  

[plus 3 golfer]

This has been discussed in almost every EV, PHEV and HEV forums as states begin to implement a mechanism to capture lost tax revenue from such vehicles for using their roads.  As one knows, vehicles should  fairly pay for use of roads which should be independent of the type of power train the vehicle has.  The most convenient way to collect for use of roads is a tax on fuel used by vehicles.  But along came EVs, PHEVs, and HEVs which still use roads but are not paying there fair share for use of roads.  Hence, the registration surcharge to help equalize this.  So, now EVs, PHEVs, and HEVs will pay more. 

 

Fairness will depend on what ones overall FE.  The extra $100 for an Energi over an HEV, would equate to using about 260 gallons of gas a year for the average car which gets around 25 mpg paying $0.385 cents per gallon tax.  The C-Max Hybrid around 40 mpg.  So, that's the equivalent of driving 6500 (100 X 25 / 0.385) miles per year in a standard car and 10,000 extra miles per year in a PHEV on wall power over the C-Max Hybrid.   I don't know what the average PHEV gets on a charge after several years of owneship, but the Energi is likely one of the lowest factoring in HVB capacity fade.  The average EPA range of all current new PHEVs is around 20.5 miles.  The Ohio extra surcharge of $100 on PHEVs over an HEV seems about right, since charging once a day for say 300 days is about 6150 miles (20.5 X 300) which is equivalent to the average car driving 6500 miles.  So, the state collects about same revenue from the average car and the PHEV running in EV for use of roads for the same miles driven based on the average range of PHEVs and 300 days of charging full.

 

Yes, the issue of fairness is taxing for road use is dependent on how many miles one drives per year.  Driving only 5000 miles even if all in EV is not fair.  You would be paying more than the average car driving 5000 at 25 mpg.  You also pay $100 for driving it as a Hybrid and paying the gas tax on the gallons used.  You get screwed again because your miles driven is low.  I believe the average car is driven around 13,500 miles a year.  So, my guess is that if you drove your Energi 13,500 miles per per you would likely come close to paying the same for use of roads as the average car.

[ptjones]

Interesting, not doing it here in GA yet, gas prices here are generally lower than most places here, I'm paying $1.99 for Premium at Sam's now.  Yesterday did see $2.75 in Maryland . Gas tax is 31.6 cents. The registration tax will take some of the shinny appeal off of EV/Hybrid vehicles. 

 

Paul

[plus 3 golfer]

Here’s a link (2019 article) on states with extra charges for EVs and so forth.

https://www.ncsl.org/research/energy/new-fees-on-hybrid-and-electric-vehicles.aspx

[SnowStorm]

"Interesting" that VA's $64 hybrid fee "will fall to $50 in subsequent years" if not used for "transportation purposes" by a particular "jurisdiction"!  So, I suppose, a city with 200k vehicles gets 10 million to do with as they please!  The real problem isn't likely to be that of coming up with a new and fairly equatable way to to finance the roads.

[zalusky]

My wife and I both have CMAX's and she never drove much before she retired as her job was about a mile from the house.  Now I pretty much drive her everywhere and her car sits in the driveway sometimes for weeks especially as a result of the pandemic.

 

My car does most of the driving and even then I drive probably at most 5000 miles a year.

 

So yea this would piss me off.   They need a way to scale in miles driven for BEVs and PHEVs and leave hybrids alone.

[plus 3 golfer]

22 hours ago, ptjones said:

Interesting, not doing it here in GA yet, gas prices here are generally lower than most places here, I'm paying $1.99 for Premium at Sam's now.  Yesterday did see $2.75 in Maryland . Gas tax is 31.6 cents. The registration tax will take some of the shinny appeal off of EV/Hybrid vehicles. 

 

Paul

The link In my post above shows GA does charge $200 a year for PHEVs if it gets an Alternative  Fuel  License  Plate.  Apparently EVs are licensed as an advanced fuels vehicle and must pay the $200 (also apparently $213 for 2020).  The benefit of an AFLP is the vehicle can use the HOV lanes.

 

Georgia

Ga. Code Ann. §40-2-151(19)(A)(i)/HB 170 (2015)

• $200 annual license fee for noncommercial alternative fueled vehicles, including BEVs
• $300 annual license fee for commercial alternative fueled vehicle
• The fees will be automatically adjusted on an annual basis, as of July 1, 2016.
• “Alternative fueled vehicle” means any vehicle fueled solely by an alternative fuel, including electricity.
• The fees do not apply to PHEVs unless the vehicle owner elects an alternative fuel vehicle license plate.

[ptjones]

Well I don't use the HOV lane very often so I will forgo spending $25 for alternative fuel license plate and save $200 on registration.  Thanks for the info.?  My car should be built the week of Aug. 10th so I need to start making Grill Covers and wheel and fender covers for it.

 

Paul