EZZ

They pay sales tax on electricity so the state gets revenue from there. Plus, not all of the gas tax goes to building roads but environmental regulations which EVs are a fraction of so not everything can be apples to apples. EV buyers also pay the upfront cost vs ICE so sales tax has been accounted for there. Removing sales tax is the better comparison.

gengar

Look, you're the one that brought up a supposed equivalence between the EV registration fee and gasoline tax - I don't care enough to argue about it if you insist on moving the goalposts, especially when the sales tax is such a minuscule portion anyway.

EDIT: Also, I looked up the respective bill (California SB 1 from 2017) and it is actually a one-time $100 registration fee for ZEVs when the vehicle is first registered. It's not even annual. So that is not going to come anywhere close to making up the gas tax.

EZZ

I was also wrong, it is a one time $100 fee and up to $175 annually depending on the vehicle value. So yeah, the government always gets their taxes. Its stupid to think the government won't get their money just because we switch to EV. They will continue to jack up EV taxes until it offsets gas tax to pay for infrastructure and these tax hikes will happen regularly.

California starts charging EV registration fees up to $175 in July

Bradley Berman

- Jul. 10th 2020 12:35 pm ET


Starting this month, a one-time upfront registration fee of $100 will be charged for 2020 model year plug-in vehicles in California. That will be followed by an annual registration fee of up to $175 based on the vehicle’s value. The Golden State is by far the biggest market for electric vehicles in the United States.

The fee is a result of Senate Bill 1, which passed in 2017. The bill also boosts California gas taxes by 3.2 cents to about 50.5 cents a gallon, raising approximately $7 billion a year to pay for maintenance and repairs. California EV fees are expected to generate $52 billion over 10 years, earmarked for infrastructure repairs.

EV fees will not make up for shortages in roadway investments caused by other factors. At the same time, University of California Davis researchers found that imposing EV fees in California could reduce their sales by 10-24%. The state currently has about 700,000 EVs on its road. In 2018, former governor Jerry Brown signed an executive order committing the state to a goal of 5 million zero-emission vehicles on the road by 2030. The state currently offers a rebate of $2,000 for a pure electric vehicle and $1,000 for a plug-in hybrid.

An EV worth $5,000 will pay a $25 fee. The amount climbs up to $175 per year for a plug-in electric vehicle worth $60,000 and higher.

States across the country are reeling from a loss of gas tax revenue during the pandemic. As a result, states are deferring billions of dollars of transportation projects. The shortfall is estimated at $50 billion needed to pave roads, maintain bridges, and other work to increase safety and decrease congestion.

According to the American Road and Transportation Builders Association, about $8.5 billion of work planned in 14 states and 19 localities were delayed or canceled.

On July 1, the US House passed a $1.5 trillion infrastructure bill that would increase spending on roads and transit while reducing pollution and generating jobs. (It also includes measures to update US postal trucks.) Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) dismissed it as “political theater.” The Republican-controlled Senate has yet to finalize its five-year transportation bill.

Nearly half of US states impose fees on EV owners or will soon add new. The ill-conceived idea is to make up for gaps in roadway infrastructure investments usually derived from gasoline taxes.

On January 1, EV drivers in Oregon started paying $110 more per year to register their EVs. The increase lifted their registration fee to $306 for two years.

The list of states with EV fees currently in effect, or about to start, include Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

gengar

Yep, no disagreement on the raising taxes part. Same reason so many states have increased gas tax because gas mileage is so much better than it used to be, which reduced the revenues.

Motorola

Can we please talk about the car instead of having another near-political debate about the viability of hydrogen and EV's? There hasn't been a single word uttered in the thread on even its looks.

LeX2K

I don't think anyone is interested in actually buying this car so we talk about other things.

Toys4RJill

I never knew they raised the gas tax because cars became more efficient...eventually the cost to charge a battery electric will rise to gas fill prices...eventually it will be just like heating your home with gas vs electric with the second being more expensive.

Motorola

Most cars mentioned in Car Chat are things most of us aren't interested in buying, but are at least interesting enough to merit their own discussion. This being what's left of the 5GS no less, I think it deserves our attention.

Toys4RJill

The thread is about the Mirai...whats a 5GS?
Edit: Got the 5GS reference in the Lexus Gs.

JDR76

If they would make a 5GS, I’m sure I’d be all over it.

I like the styling of this Mirai, except for the long front overhang, which I don’t quite get.

natnut

Good point. I think this car would have been very promising as a 5GS but given the Lexus touch with a modified Lexus spindle grille and the 2021 Lexus IS headlights. The proportions are very elegant and has a commanding presence. In fact this car with those body proportions and with the 2021 Lexus IS front end could have been the best looking car in its segment : midsized luxury sports sedan.

Speaking about Hydrogen vs Pure Electric from the end user experience, IIRC, refilling the gas tank with hydrogen is almost as fast as pumping petrol and a lot less hassle and a lot less time spent waiting around for a full charge than recharging pure EV. Also less weight penalty from a pure hydrogen car compared to an equivalent EV car with its heavy EV batteries. The only issue is which infrastructure : hydrogen refuelling vs EV charging, are governments willing to finance and support. Which infrastructure is easier to implement and maintain over the long run. Toyota is gambling on hydrogen while keeping a heavy involvement in EV while other manufacturers are going all in on EV alone.

situman

​​​​​​Even with the same old 3.5 V6? Lexus aint got nothing else to put into its vehicles.

Motorola

I think it's somewhat exaggerated by the plastic cladding on the front.

JDR76

I was hoping for a 5GS with the 3.4TT V6 from the LS500.

situman

That wouldnt have happened.