Gas price increase! I'm so happy!

[Drone Flyer]

You might have noticed the government will be increasing the carbon tax and the gas taxes within 10 months. I'm actually happy to hear this.
Electricity and natural gas will also be increasing but I'm really happy about gas prices going up. LOL! No really!

 

[eye.surgeon]

Tell that to the plumber who has to drive a truck, the single mom who can't afford a new car, the guy who mows your lawn, cleans your pool...share your enthusiasm for their impending diminished standard of living with them as you drive your new $100k car . I understand you're excited it may make EVs an easier sell, but there's a cost and many people don't have a choice but to drive an ICE.

 

[Jaff]

Driving is a privilege, not a right.

The simple fact is that not everyone can afford a vehicle, nor the cost of operating a vehicle.

That may not necessarily be fair, but that's life, and life is not necessarily fair.

Folks in Ontario are used to paying 1.25 a liter for gas...with the slump in gas prices, this is the perfect time to boost the price of gas with an additional tax...it is part of the 3 prongs that Norway uses to achieve more EV's on the road, and less Gass guzzlers, and it needs to happen here.

If all those folks who could afford to drive with gas at 1.25 / liter a few months ago, please tell me why can they now not afford it at half the price?

I do not like our current provincial government's policies in almost every area...they just recently facked up the EVIP rebate program... but increasing gas prices is a good move, and, when cost effective long range EV'so are affordable, I hope they start surcharging new gas vehicles as well.

I just wish I could trust them to spend these new revenues in the proper places

Tell that to the plumber who has to drive a truck, the single mom who can't afford a new car, the guy who mows your lawn, cleans your pool...share your enthusiasm for their impending diminished standard of living with them as you drive your new $100k car . I understand you're excited it may make EVs an easier sell, but there's a cost and many people don't have a choice but to drive an ICE.

 

[Cebe]

Heck, when you look at China and think "this is a good idea", you know we're in trouble. I'm talking about their "the barrel of oil will cost you no less than $40, and if the price is lower, the government gets to keep the difference and put it towards the green initiatives".

 

[CHG-ON]

I felt the same thing. Never thought I would. Personally, I am taking a much wider POV than eye.surgeon, who has some valid points. But if we don't get off of oil, our grandkids and their grandkids will suffer the consequences of the current short sighted thinking by our governments. Perhaps if we start now with relatively painless movements to motivate people to change their habits, we can avoid mass suffering when the whole thing collapses in 20-40 years. And it will.

 

[AudubonB]

...but I'm really happy about gas prices going up...really!

Do you own a Tesla and in what part of Canada do you live? WHAT have YOU done to increase the feasibility of EVs in your part of the world?

I write that because I, on the other hand, am more than moderately ticked off at the state of affairs wherein a country can increase its hydrocarbon tax...at the same time as not having taken the appropriate steps to promulgate effective use of EVs. Without the latter, the former is empty feel-good action that diminishes, not improves, your general welfare.

I know that ours is the extreme case, but it is excellent as the talking point. After three years of headaches, we no longer will be driving our Model S through Canada en route from/to Alaska and the lesser-48. And Tesla Motors falls down at least as much as does Ottawa.

To try to find any electricity in the 1,500mi/2,400km between Beaver Creek and Edmonton is a case study in frustration....and days and days of trickle-charging at whatever RV campground that one might find open. Sun Country stations not only are hardly faster but also too rare. BC Hydro has been stultifyingly recalcitrant in assisting TM in their emplacement of Superchargers, and even that has been only in the useless-to-us Trans-Can, etc., corridor. We have gotten nowhere in discussions with Yukon authorities to interest them in same.

So for the foreseeable decades we will once again be using our diesel or gasoline vehicles, at greater pollution to your air and greater cost to us.

No, I'm not really happy. Really.

 

[Jaff]

I understand your point Audi, but a few comments...

This price increase is provincial (Ontario), so it won't currently impact you.

With the arrival of the Bolt & the Model III, there should be no reason why most families cannot put one of these vehicles in their driveway as opposed to their second car being a gasser.

Southern Ontario, where the majority of the population of Ontario resides, is fairly well covered by Super Chargers, and by Level II charging (more ChadeMo & CCS 50kw chargers are coming very soon)

Folks in Ontario up at Thunder Bay or Sudbury have the same issue as you (insufficient charge station network for long distance driving) ... it will take more time to fill in the charging network to accommodate everyone, but it's going to take some time to accommodate everyone's needs...still, we have to start somewhere, or we'll never get started.

Do you own a Tesla and in what part of Canada do you live? WHAT have YOU done to increase the feasibility of EVs in your part of the world?

I write that because I, on the other hand, am more than moderately ticked off at the state of affairs wherein a country can increase its hydrocarbon tax...at the same time as not having taken the appropriate steps to promulgate effective use of EVs. Without the latter, the former is empty feel-good action that diminishes, not improves, your general welfare.

I know that ours is the extreme case, but it is excellent as the talking point. After three years of headaches, we no longer will be driving our Model S through Canada en route from/to Alaska and the lesser-48. And Tesla Motors falls down at least as much as does Ottawa.

To try to find any electricity in the 1,500mi/2,400km between Beaver Creek and Edmonton is a case study in frustration....and days and days of trickle-charging at whatever RV campground that one might find open. Sun Country stations not only are hardly faster but also too rare. BC Hydro has been stultifyingly recalcitrant in assisting TM in their emplacement of Superchargers, and even that has been only in the useless-to-us Trans-Can, etc., corridor. We have gotten nowhere in discussions with Yukon authorities to interest them in same.

So for the foreseeable decades we will once again be using our diesel or gasoline vehicles, at greater pollution to your air and greater cost to us.

No, I'm not really happy. Really.

 

[AudubonB]

Definitely appears to be my USA-centric slip-up.

On the other side of the border, when the phrase "the government" is used, the default meaning always is the federal gummint. When we refer to state-specific malarkey, we'd refer to it by name, by its capital, or possibly its governor. You confederacy folks are tricky so & so's.....

 

[Jaff]

I have the same problem Audi...whenever I read Federal government, I automatically think "doooofus" :wink:

 

[Evbwcaer]

Tell it to the person who breathes air, or lives near sea level, or pays home-owners insurance.

"Taxing" carbon is the fair thing to do, as it diminishes the ability of people to impose the costs associated with their behavior on to other people and entities, up to the point the the retail price reflects ALL costs associated with the consumption.

 

[Forty Creek]

One small point of clarification, the gas price increase will result from the start of a Cap and Trade system in Ontario, not a direct Carbon Tax. I hope it can be managed properly. Cap and trade seems more complicated than a straight carbon tax. Not sure how well our provincial government will be able to do 'complicated'.

 

[Jaff]

Agree totally...their past track record for "complicated" ain't exactly awe inspiring...they do seem to do "boondoggle" fairly well though...

One small point of clarification, the gas price increase will result from the start of a Cap and Trade system in Ontario, not a direct Carbon Tax. I hope it can be managed properly. Cap and trade seems more complicated than a straight carbon tax. Not sure how well our provincial government will be able to do 'complicated'.

 

[CHG-ON]

As far as the US Federal government goes, Doofus is the kindest way I would describe them. Unfortunately, you don't need to know how to do anything to get elected in this country. Witness the illustriously bombastic and uninformed Mr. Trump surging in the polls.