Electric car buyers bypass paying for roads

Apr 9 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Anne Paine The Tennessean, Nashville

Electric car buyers have a huge benefit in their minuscule fuel costs, but they're bypassing one little thing -- paying for roads.

John Schroer, the state's new commissioner of transportation, is looking for a way to change that.

Like the drivers who pay taxes when they fill up their tanks with gasoline, electric car owners should contribute to the cost of roads and maintenance, Schroer said.

Some states, including Washington, are considering proposals, such as a $100 license fee each year on electric cars, or charging by vehicle weight or miles driven.

Ironically, Schroer is the former mayor of Franklin, home to Nissan North America, maker of the Leaf electric car, and he got a chance to drive one.

"I loved it," he said. "I think it's a product of the future. It reduces our dependence on foreign oil. It's where we should go.

"When I got in this job, I realized, 'Uh-oh, they're not paying anything to use the roads.' "

The automobile industry knows discussions are ramping up nationwide.

"Whenever new technology is being introduced, we'd like to see as few barriers to entry as possible," said Nissan spokeswoman Katherine Zachary.

"However, we recognize the need for all drivers to contribute to road maintenance funds."

She said this needs to be part of a larger conversation, and Schroer agreed.

"I really believe that how we fund our transportation, the federal and state side of that, is archaic. That's because we do it on (fuel) consumption," he said.

"We have to probably look at some other way of funding."

Road funds dwindle

Better gas mileage has been required by the government, and high-efficiency vehicles are preferred by many as fuel prices rise. But that means dwindling road funds.

Use of the federal highway system has increased about 3 percent over the past few years, but money coming in has dropped by about 2 percent, Schroer said.

At the same time, maintenance and other costs are rising, and more roads are being built that must be kept in shape.

"We know it's bad to burn a lot of gas. We know it's bad to have vehicles that get eight miles to the gallon. All those things we're trying not to do, except we need those things to pay for our roads," Schroer said.

"While we should encourage high-mileage vehicles, we also need to make sure we can continue to fund our transportation system."

Tennessee road taxes on a gallon of gas are 21.4 cents, less than the national average of 26.65 cents. The federal amount is 18.4 cents a gallon.

That means Tennessee drivers are paying 39.8 cents per gallon of gasoline that goes for roads and for mass transit projects or other programs, such as bike paths, that can help ease traffic.

In a year, a driver who travels 15,000 miles at 25 miles per gallon would pay just under $240 in tax.

A Leaf driver here pays about $2.50 to go 100 miles, the total range of the car in one full seven-hour charge. That's less than the amount of tax a standard vehicle driver shells out for 7 gallons of gas.

Mixed signals

Tom Grose of East Nashville is waiting to buy a Leaf that he signed up for last year.

He understands the need to assist with road infrastructure and wouldn't mind paying an added fee "if it wasn't too exorbitant," he said.

At the same time he questioned the state's push to get electric cars on the road, with incentives that include a $2,500 credit on the first 1,000 sold.

The suggested retail cost is $32,780, reduced to $25,280 with a federal green tax credit.

"Why would they create a disincentive now?" he mused. "It's a little confusing."

Still, he said he would pay a reasonable fee quietly and avoid "gun-fighting over the thing politically, the issue of how we subsidize our energy policy."

"I'm more interested in providing an example of alternative transportation," said Grose, a retiree and avid bicyclist.

Schroer admits that his favorite vehicle is his Ford F-150 pickup truck, which doesn't get great fuel mileage. His state car is a flex-fuel Impala.

Still, an electric car would have made sense when he was Franklin's mayor and drove short distances. He said he expects technology improvements in batteries will make them more versatile and popular