Join Us at The Statehouse on Feb. 14
This Valentine’s Day, we’re sharing our love of electric vehicles (EVs) with Idaho’s legislators – and we want you to join us! EVs have a promising future in Idaho. ICL has been working with utility companies, automakers and research scientists to organize a presentation at the Statehouse to discuss all the benefits EVs bring to Idaho. The meeting will start at 1:30 p.m. in the Lincoln Auditorium, but arrive early to make sure you get a seat. Afterward we’ll have EVs parked in front of the Statehouse for everyone to check out.
We Need Legislators to Love Electric Vehicles
If you own a car, you’ve had the experience of paying registration fees. If your car is electric, you’d have to pay an extra $140 just to register your vehicle! Lawmakers proposed this premium fee due to EVs not paying for gas tax. While it makes sense that EVs pay their fair share for road maintenance, that $140 is somewhat of an arbitrary number and doesn’t accurately reflect a fair amount.
There’s good news though. The Idaho National Lab (INL) conducted research to calculate the appropriate premium EVs should pay to make up for not paying the gas tax. According to INL’s research, EV’s should only be paying about $72 in extra fees, nearly half what they’re currently charged. We need legislators to update these fees to fair values to reduce barriers for EV ownership.
What’s Not to Love?
Idaho has one of the cleanest energy grids in the nation. Pairing this grid with electric vehicles is a win-win, protecting the air we breathe every day as well as reducing Idaho’s contributions of climate changing greenhouse gases. A healthier environment isn’t the only benefit though. Consider the following:
- Idaho spends $2.8 billion per year on transportation fuels that we import from surrounding states. Switching to EVs means energy would be produced, purchased and consumed all within our states borders, a significant boost to our state’s economy.
- Many businesses are required to have an air permit, which can include limits on operations if air quality is bad. The cleaner we keep our air, the more room these businesses have to grow in cities throughout Idaho.
- The average U.S. household spends nearly one-fifth of its total family budget on transportation. Not only is electricity cheaper than gasoline, but EVs are less-expensive to operate and maintain, saving you money now and well into the future!