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Alabama just passed a law increasing the gas tax. Included in this is a $200 (per year) fine for EVs and a $100 fine for PHEVs. They tried to fine regular hybrids as well, but that sparked enough outrage to get removed. No one here knows what a PHEV is, and assume that every EV is a $75,000+ Tesla, so there was little opposition to the EV fine.
This convinced me to sell my Nissan Leaf. It feels like states don't understand the technology, didn't bother to do the math on how much more EVs cost vs equivalent gasoline cars, and don't care that electricity is already taxed anyway. I can drive almost 10,000 miles on $200 worth of electricity, which is about how many miles I drive my Leaf in a year. This new tax effectively doubles the cost to fuel my car, bringing it closer in line to the fuel costs of my former car, a '08 Prius. The worst thing about this tax is that it is a flat rate. It doesn't matter if you drive 100 miles in a year or 100,000. You pay the same amount. Low mileage drivers of EVs may actually end up paying more per mile than just having a normal gas guzzler.
In order to pay $200 in gas taxes under the new Alabama gas tax (28 cents per gallon), you need to buy 714 gallons of gasoline. If you drive a new Prius and average 50MPG, you would need to drive 35,714 miles in one year in order to pay the same amount of gas tax as an EV driver who may only drive 1000 miles in a year pays. According to some quick google statistics, the average Alabamian drives about 13,000 miles in a year. If there is going to be a fine on EVs, it should be no more than $50 per year, and PHEVs should be more like $10-$15.
My next car will likely be a gas hog sedan, as I want something a little bit more responsive than another Prius, and the state has discouraged me from seeking any EVs or PHEVs.
The government ruins yet another great thing.
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