States can compensate with vehicle and odometer taxes, but local governments can harness new data technologies — including GPS, 5G and AI — to meet the need for more than states’ hand-me-down dollars.
It’s not just the decline in fuel tax revenues and its impact on highway construction and maintenance. Real estate will also be affected, and sales taxes are likely to take a hit. States need to begin developing strategies.
Sixteen states and D.C. have signed on to California’s latest unworkable mandate for zero-emission vehicles. Virginia is the first of those to abandon California’s regulations. That’s a win for the state, its workers and its businesses.
Many industry analysts are confident that the electric vehicle revolution will continue even if Biden is ousted in November. But some — including automakers themselves — are worried about how politics could endanger the EV future.
Manufacturing companies are frequently turning to robotics in response to labor shortages, increased strike risks and the need for flexibility with the transition to electric vehicles.
Although electric vehicle sales grew by 50 percent last year, that is far below the 70 percent growth the industry had forecast. High costs, infrastructure access, charging concerns and grid reliability continue to dissuade drivers.
State Road 516 will be equipped to recharge batteries of electric cars and trucks as they drive along the toll expressway. Although it will be less than five miles long, the road will cost nearly $550 million.
The state will launch an alternative system where drivers are charged for each mile they drive. That might replace the gas tax, which hasn’t been updated since 2003. As of 2022, just 0.13 percent of the state’s vehicles were hybrid or electric.
Chicago’s main metro transit system will purchase eight of the two-car trains for $154 million, and may spend up to $181.4 million extra for more. The trains will run during off-peak times.
They’re a complex tangle of technology and services with multiple stakeholders, so regulation is messy. There is a particular decision-making process that could help.
The Georgia county school district didn’t apply for the EPA’s Clean School Bus Grant Program and hasn’t signaled any interest in applying in the future. Officials say the limited mileage range and charging requirements would cause significant route delays.
Electrify America, born out of Volkswagen’s 2015 emissions scandal, promised to spend millions to promote electric vehicle adoption across California. But unreliable EV chargers only further undermine the company’s pledge.
Lawmakers should make charging convenient for everyone and minimize the environmental impact of electric vehicle batteries.
The station has enough power to charge four vehicles simultaneously up to 80 percent within 20 to 40 minutes and was funded through the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill. It is just one of 27 planned across the state.
The proposed bill would charge electric vehicle owners $290 a year to supplement decreased revenue lost from the state’s gas tax. It is estimated the fee would generate as much as $20 million annually for the state.
A new survey found that only about 5 percent of Texans currently drive an electric vehicle and, of those who don’t currently own or lease an EV, about 60 percent said they probably wouldn’t consider one in the future either.
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