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NH imposes surcharge on electric vehicles

Discussion in 'Prime Main Forum (2017-2022)' started by Freedom, Sep 3, 2023.

  1. Freedom

    Freedom Active Member

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    I have a Prius Gen 2, not sure I am in the right area to post this news.

    Registration surcharge coming for owners of electric vehicles in NH

    HOOKSETT, N.H. —

    Granite Staters who drive electric vehicles don't pay New Hampshire gas tax since they don't fill up their tanks, but starting Friday, they'll need to pay an annual surcharge.

    There are more than 8,000 battery-electric vehicles and 2,600 plug-in hybrid vehicles registered in New Hampshire. Starting Friday, they'll be assessed a surcharge of $100 and $50, respectively, on annual registration.


    Division of Motor Vehicles director John Marasco said the money will go directly to roadway infrastructure around the state, just like the gas tax does.

    "People registering an electric vehicle really won't see any difference whatsoever," he said. "You can still do that at your local town or city, and you can do that at the counter, or you can do it online. And the fees will be addressed right there in the registration. But as far as convenience, there won't be any change."

    Some other states offer incentives for people to buy electric vehicles, but New Hampshire does not. Sam Evans-Brown, executive director of Clean Energy New Hampshire, said some of the surcharge money should be going toward EV charging infrastructure to accommodate an increase in electric vehicles on the roads.

    "Eighty percent of electric vehicle charging right now is happening at homes, and these vehicles have 300-mile ranges," he said. "Public charging really is, a lot of times, for road trips, long day trips and for folks who aren't homeowners, and as we start to see affordable used EVs coming onto the market, public charging is going to be essential to unlock the ability for those types of folks to be able to charge the vehicles."

    Justin Stambaugh, who just bought his EV last year, said he understands the need for the surcharge as an alternative to the gas tax.
    "I'm fine with paying for road maintenance and that kind of thing," he said. "If that's how the state pays for it, OK."
     
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  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i like the fact that gas taxes go to road maintenance. i think in massachusetts, they got into the pols pockets, err 'general fund'

    i'm hapy to pay for road maintenance, but would prefer by the mile and vehicle weight
     
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  3. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    In Washington state an elected official snuck in a tax on old hybrid cars that don't have any ability to generate electricity unless they fill up at the gas station, but they decided it's better to punish people for getting good MPG rather reward them. Costs almost $200 for a registration in my state because of this nonsense.
     
    #3 PriusCamper, Sep 3, 2023
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 21, 2023
  4. Freedom

    Freedom Active Member

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    WOW! I'm sorry. It is surprising how many people do not understand how the hybrids work. I have a friend who insists my Carmine, a Gen 2, is a lovely 'second car.' The fact that it is my ONLY car, well, all these years and I have explained multiple times to her but she doesn't get it.
     
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  5. Mr.Vanvandenburg

    Mr.Vanvandenburg Senior Member

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    I no longer fly on airlines but I know I pay my tiny share for airports. No longer have anyone in public school but pay quite a lot in property tax for schools. Leave evs alone for awhile until things get sorted out as what is fair.
     
    #5 Mr.Vanvandenburg, Sep 3, 2023
    Last edited: Sep 3, 2023
  6. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    the hybrid tax is the worst, it''s just like the proximity noisemaker law
     
  7. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    My beloved (though right wing) step mother who passed away from early onset Alzheimer's 2 years couldn't remember much towards the end but whenever she heard the word Prius she'd immediately tell the story of almost getting run over in the parking lot because she couldn't hear it sneaking up on her.

    And I don't know about you, but I tend to notice large heavy deadly things sneaking up on me no matter how quiet they are...
     
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  8. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    yeah, the whole thing was a sham, politics as usual
     
  9. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    A clarification: in Washington State, hybrids pay only the $75 "Transportation electrification fee".

    Plug-in vehicles (exceeding 30 miles EV range) pay an additional $150 "Electric car fee", for a total of $225 in annual electric fees.

    WA-DOL: Calculate vehicle tab fees


    Seattle Times: Sticker shock for Washington’s hybrid and electric car owners: $75 fee in their new car-tab bills

    Then add in all the Regional Transportation Authority and local Transportation Benefit District fees, and one can be spending some real money for annual renewals.
     
    #9 fuzzy1, Sep 3, 2023
    Last edited: Sep 4, 2023
  10. Washingtonian

    Washingtonian Senior Member

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    Actually, our Washington State government screws all of its citizens. If you drive an ICE, you pay the highest price in the U.S. for gasoline as they figured out how to add some new tax that is supposed to punish the oil companies. Regular gas is typically over $5.00 per gallon now.
     
  11. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    Actually, not this week. We were highest for a few weeks, then California regained the lead.

    Check back in another week or so ...

    upload_2023-9-4_9-44-34.png
     
  12. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    I live in your state and I've yet to pay more than $4 per gallon thanks to various discounts and price hunting... And quite frankly the true cost of gasoline if you figure it into the trillion dollars in annual climate change damage it should cost $50 a gallon.

    I've got no problem with paying too much for gas if it helps end the use of fossil fools, but what happens is the people who use the most gas tend to be vindictive towards people who buy only a small amount or none and then claim it's to fund roads so they can add more freeway lanes that always turn into more traffic and more vehicles killing the planet not less.

    What's more road repair funds should be based on vehicle weight and which roads you travel on, not petty right wingers that drive monster trucks who think hybrid and electric vehicles are an insult to their manhood.
     
  13. Wolfman33

    Wolfman33 Member

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    They have implemented a similar tax here in Virginia. I only found out about it when I tried to renew the registration on my new PP. I transferred the old registration, and it didn't come up until it was time to renew. While it caught me off guard, I can't say I was surprised, because it was proposed before. But the previous time that they proposed it was popularly rejected because they set the tax rate too high. Govt reps commented that they didn't understand why electric/hybrid car owners wouldn't want to pay the tax since it was less than paying for gas. But what got me the most was the rate. I don't remember the numbers now, but I did a comparison of how much I would be paying in gas tax if I drove the same number of miles in my old Honda Accord, and it came out to $100 a year. The new tax was $200 a year. Sure I'm spending less on gas, and I'm willing to make up for the lack of gas tax. But that doesn't mean I want to pay double tax. Now that the tax is imposed, I tried to figure out what the tax would be, and I couldn't find anything about the rate that would help me calculate in advance what I would be paying. I had to wait until I actually was in the registration process to find out the rate. It ended up being about $160.
     
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  14. Wolfman33

    Wolfman33 Member

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    Sorry, double posted.
     
  15. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    We pay about that much extra for regular hybrids in Virginia, All Va. cars over 25 MPG pay an annual penalty at registration for under-paying state pump taxes. prorated for how fuel efficient your car is.

    AND, this is all NH fault! because NH had that idea some years ago, and not sure, but I may have helped spread the idea here though I do not like it/

    My gas guzzler minivan is only about $35/yr to register whereas my RAV4HV closer to $100.
     
    #15 wjtracy, Sep 30, 2023
    Last edited: Sep 30, 2023
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  16. Louis19

    Louis19 Active Member

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    Yes , I know what you are experiencing ! Explaining how hybrids work to some people is a daunting task. To add a another layer like explaining the plug in hybrid system , is an overload !:(
     
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  17. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    Part of the way Virginia elected officials got away with this, it was a back-room deal that the public still has not fully grasped. There was no vocal public discussion they were planning to do this. This goes back 3 or 4 years now.
     
  18. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    Part of the way Virginia elected officials got away with this, it was a back-room deal that the public still has not fully grasped. There was no vocal public discussion they were planning to do this. This goes back 3 or 4 years now.
     
  19. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    Part of the way Virginia elected officials got away with this, it was a back-room deal that the public still has not fully grasped. There was no vocal public discussion they were planning to do this. This goes back 3 or 4 years now.