Elon Musk at Texas Transportation Forum

[roblab]

Yes we have to "follow the money" when it comes to these fuel taxes. They are indeed supposed fund road maintenance and I'm not sure that's always the case. That's why the tax on gas in Texas is $0.384/gal and diesel is $0.444/gal since the diesel is assumed to be used in heavy trucks which tear up the roads more. So taking myself for example, in 2015 I will not be paying the $150 I would have had I not bought my Tesla and replaced my Nissan. Do I feel bad about that? Not really. I don't see the hydrocarbon-based vehicles paying any carbon tax for all the CO2 and pollution flying out their tailpipes. There should be two taxes, annual usage tax like above (but separated from the fuel pump), and a carbon tax (embedded in the fuel cost) to let folks feel the pain they are inflicting on the environment.

Not that it makes any difference to the Texas legislature, but road damage is equal to the weight multiplier to the fourth power. That is, if you drive a 5000 lb Tesla and your friend drives a 10000 lb garbage truck, the road damage does not double with the heavier vehicle, but is 2*2*2*2 greater, or 16 times more. This is due to road flex, clear down to the bed of gravel under the road.

An 80,000 lb semi truck and trailer, then would incur a LOT more damage. The semi is 16 times heavier than my car. So the semi makes 16*16*16*16 or 65,536 times the created damage. My car makes no dent whatever when it comes to road damage. Large trucks are the entire and only reason for repair costs. Of course, that is an almost ridiculous statement, because driving on a beach might cause damage if I were rolling an empty 300 lb trailer, but we're talking about roads that carry large trucks.

Of course, no one would think of charging tax in relation to actual damage. Taxes are levied on "what you can get away with". The large trucking industry is highly represented in political circles, and individual drivers are painfully ignorant as to what or why they are charged. Guess who gets the larger bill? Well, we will make the car drivers pay 6 cents less so the car owners feel they aren't being cheated. OK? And that's not per mile. That's per gallon, which makes it much harder to figure out.

I would be happy to pay $100 per year for my Tesla if it actually paid for road infrastructure repair instead of new legislators.

 

[TI Sailor]

I really liked the Texas Transportation interviewer. He asked really good questions and was clear about the reasoning behind his questions. They showed a real understanding of the subject and not an outsiders viewpoint.

I agree. I thought he was the most knowledgeable and well-prepared interviewer ever to share a camera with either Tesla reps like Elon Musk or Tesla owner/enthusiasts. He came across a neither pro- nor con- Tesla. Well done!

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There should be two taxes, annual usage tax like above (but separated from the fuel pump), and a carbon tax (embedded in the fuel cost) to let folks feel the pain they are inflicting on the environment.

^ This common sense approach would be ideal. Unfortunately it would probably be shot down as double taxation by climate change deniers and anyone else opposing "new" taxes.

 

[DFibRL8R]

In Virginia we pay an annual personal property tax based on value of the vehicle. A large portion of the cost of the Model S is it's battery. So in essence, EV drivers (and also hybrid drivers) pay more in taxes since the purchase price of their vehicles (sales tax) and ongoing assessment value (yearly property taxes) are higher than an otherwise similar ICE.

 

[RobinF]

In Virginia we pay an annual personal property tax based on value of the vehicle. A large portion of the cost of the Model S is it's battery. So in essence, EV drivers (and also hybrid drivers) pay more in taxes since the purchase price of their vehicles (sales tax) and ongoing assessment value (yearly property taxes) are higher than an otherwise similar ICE.

Right. Personal property taxes are an extension of the estate property tax idea to those that might not own property. The funds collected go to your country as general revenue and have nothing to do with roads/transportation at all. I'm not fond of them (don't know who is, except the county comptroller), as they are not as progressive as they sound. If you wanted to tax the wealthy you simply impose a wealth tax. (Hmm getting off topic I suppose!)

 

[moollar]

Just wanted to add my video to this thread so you all can see it from a different perspective.

Thank you for providing a non-vertical, normal, horizontal video. Vertical videos need to be stopped! I like on my phone that there is an animation showing that the phone needs to be turned before starting a video if you're holding it vertically. iPhones need this feature badly!