Electric cars
Subsidize, don’t kill, the electric car
Dear Editor:
I was disappointed to read about Senator Haugen’s proposal to apply an additional registration fee to electric vehicles as a substitute gas tax for people who don’t use gas.
Yes, electric vehicles share our roadways (in sadly insignificant numbers).
But after decade upon decade of giving taxpayer money away to the oil companies and auto manufacturers who have fought against the development of new technologies, it is wrong to penalize consumers now that they finally have a chance to buy a vehicle that requires no foreign oil to operate.
The article quotes our senator as saying “nobody on a waiting list to buy a $30,000 vehicle is going to change their mind because of a $100 fee.”
While her argument makes financial sense, it overlooks the large psychological obstacles that can be built by small amounts of money. Ask one of the many local real estate agents what difference it makes to list a house at $399,900 instead of $400,000.
One of the big selling points of electric vehicles is their low cost of operation.
If we are serious about getting off of foreign oil and pursuing new technology for energy independence, we need to keep bringing the price of electric vehicles down, not adding to the cost of owning them.
If we are serious about creating American jobs building these cars, charging stations, etc., we need to promote rapid development and adoption of electric vehicle technologies.
Maybe once we see even 25 percent of the cars on the roadway being fullyelectric, we will need to restructure the tax funding for public roadway construction and maintenance, but until then, the government should be subsidizing our freedom from fossil fuels, not our continued dependence.
Who killed the electric car? Let’s hope it’s not our own elected officials.
Tom Riggs Camano Island
