Dealers must be needing to make room for the 2020 Primes.

No... I said "$3000 or more," not "an additional $3000 or more."

 

Well EV users don't pay road taxes since those are collected at gas pumps. So the idea is to directly charge them for road taxes. I'm actually not opposed as I do use the roads and don't pay the taxes. Oregon is somewhat less than that but will likely happen in the near future.

 

Only some states have fuel taxes going into a fund dedicated to road maintenance. The others have it go into the general fund. Then even those states with a road fund need to take from the general to cover the costs of roads. Charging an EV at home means an increase in electric use, which directly increases the amount of taxes paid on electricity going into the general fund.

Plug in cars are paying a consumption tax on their fuel that helps pay for roads already.
For owners in some states, the higher value of a plug in means they are paying more in property taxes than in comparison to a comparable traditional car.

Plug ins aren't getting a free ride.

Now, they may not be paying the same level as other cars, but if the goal is to have them pay their fair share, then use a system that is actually fair for all.

 

While there is no vehicle property tax here, nearly 2/3rds of my annual vehicle registration fee is RTA (Regional Transit Authority) excise tax, a triple digit number that very significantly exceeds what my regular Prius pays in state fuel tax ($0.494/gallon). Even matching what my fuel-sucking-pig-Subaru pays in fuel tax. And since it is based on vehicle value (on an absurdly slow depreciation schedule, boosting tax revenue), when I upgrade to a plug-in car, that RTA tax will definitely go up.

 

Of course it depends on the state that you live in. Oregon has very low registration costs so that isn't a true funding source. Additionally there really isn't a premium on a EV or plug in with all the rebates and tax credits available. One of the reasons I ended up with a Prime is that it was actually cheaper than buying a regular Prius.

The increase in electricity costs pales in comparison to the costs of ICE fuels. It's that much more efficient. So EV and PEV are certainly getting a free ride.

Although gas taxes may go into the general fund it is widely acknowledged that we already don't bring in enough in fuel taxes to pay for road maintenance.

 

why do we pay an electric tax, does government maintain the grid?

 

If it's a sales tax that's not uncommon. We pay sales tax on water and electric and natural gas.

 

I see the same here in So Cal. Lots of big nice person trucks. The new Cadillac.

 

Hello there! It seems that other states are catching on on how to tax their population for everything. California has been such a good model of this. Hopefully, Illinois doesn't become too bad.

 

I stopped by Tarbox Toyota in RI today- they’re 20 minutes from my house - and one of the salespeople said they expect the 2020’s in at the start of August.
I’m starting my research on what dealer I’m going to work with. L

 

My local dealer expects 2020 cars at the start of August.

 

what kind of deals are they making on 19's?

 

Sometimes. Depends on the grid and the state. Some of those taxes are for providing assistance to low income utility users. Some are for infrastructure. Our electric bill is virtually impossible to understand. Of course we also have grid tied solar so that makes it even more "fun" to try to figure out.

 

This too depends on where you live. While it is true for probably a majority of the country, numerous readers have pointed to local situations where the pricing difference is flipped.

Let me guess: what appeared here is slight different than what you actually wrote.

 

Should have been "lots of big personal trucks"

 

Without federal government funding, the countryside wouldn't have electricity. It's the same situation as with the postal service. If left to private sector, remote areas wouldn't get service, because of the lack of profit.

 

The home where I grew up received electric service in 1948, thanks to the REA. Dad was a teenager and remembers the arrival day quite well. They toasted and enjoyed an entire loaf of bread. And the electric lights allowed them to retire the acetylene light system.

Out there, the rotary dial telephone system replaced the old crank telephones in about 1961? (+/- a year), just barely before the rest of the country started moving to touch-tone. I grew up with an 8-party line, improving to just to 4-party about the time I went to college. Parents didn't have the choice of a single-party line until after I had my own over here in the Puget Sound region.

 

i remember when they got an electric toaster on downton abbey

 

Many people buy SUV's and pickups if they run a small business. The tax code allows accelerated deduction if the vehicle has a GVWR of more than 6,000 lbs.

Section 179 Tax Deduction for Buying a Business Vehicle