CityLab Daily: Should Electric Vehicle Drivers Pay Per Mile?

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Charges may apply: Since 1956, the United States has collected a federal fuel tax to contribute to the Highway Trust Fund, pairing money to help build and maintain roads with the gasoline and diesel that vehicles burn on them. But the tax has stayed flat as cars have become more fuel efficient, and the growing number of gasoline-free cars threatens to further deplete the fund, which has been running a shortfall for many years. How will the feds fund future road repairs?

California, Washington, and Illinois are each mulling a “mileage tax,” where drivers pay based on the miles they drive rather than the gas they consume. That raises a dilemma, though: Charging electric vehicle drivers a mileage fee might slow the adoption of EVs at a time when cheap gas is fueling a climate catastrophe. Does it make sense to make these drivers pay up? CityLab’s Laura Bliss reports on a new attempt to weigh the tradeoffs: Should Electric Vehicle Drivers Pay Per Mile?