Road pricing is inevitable if......

Honest John Back Room » Motoring discussion
What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks
View Threaded
Thu 12 Jul 2007 17:56
Road pricing is inevitable if...... - nick
....electric cars catch on in a big way. By electric cars I mean the sort you can plug in at home. The treasury will lose in a big way, no VED and no fuel tax. You can't tax the electricity more because how can you differentiate between an electric fire and your Wizz plugged in? So the only fair way to tax them (if you think taxing cars is appropriate) is to tax the use of them and the only way to do that is road pricing which has the political advantage as being able to be dressed up as addressing 'congestion', however you define that. VED is just a tax on possession, so I don't think could be morally justified at the level that would be needed to replace fuel duties.
So if battery packs get better, get used to the idea coming to a road near you.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 12 Jul 2007 18:00
Road pricing is inevitable if...... - Number_Cruncher
I'm absolutely sure if electric cars catch on in a big way, VED will surely follow. Electric cars are only being given the incentive because there are so few of them - as a green gesture, it looks good, and, owing to the small numbers, it costs nowt - HMG wins twice over!

Number_Cruncher
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 12 Jul 2007 20:37
Road pricing is inevitable if...... - madf
sorry . Illogical.
Raise RFL on electric cars to £150 per quarter...

Add VAT to electricity consumed on a per mile basis...

Lots of ideas.

(And they are carp for the enivironment... ditribution of lectricity wastes about 35% due to heat losses and the actual generation process is oil/gas/coal... :-(((

So RFL of £250 per quarter.. imo no £500:-))
madf
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 12 Jul 2007 20:45
Road pricing is inevitable if...... - 659FBE
Just to clarify, the losses are about 65%, the majority of which occurs as heat and energy conversion losses at the generation plant. High voltage distribution involves little additional loss.

So, power station efficiency is about 35%. My PD diesel has a thermal efficiency approaching 40% at its optimum speed and load.

A nonsense.

659.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 12 Jul 2007 21:28
Road pricing is inevitable if...... - nick
Raise RFL on electric cars to £150 per quarter...

Not politically acceptable.
Add VAT to electricity consumed on a per mile basis...

How do you measure that?
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 12 Jul 2007 22:42
Road pricing is inevitable if...... - Ravenger
I've made that point myself. It's not just electric cars either, there's hydrogen and other alternate fuels, each of which can't be taxed in exactly the same way as petrol/diesel.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 12 Jul 2007 23:16
Road pricing is inevitable if...... - madf
You can easily measure and charge for electric power: sensor inside vehicle measures use.. needs to be reset at a fuel station.. £25 a pop...


Electric cars are an environmental solution thought up by muppets for muppets who know no better (i.e. politicians amongst others)
madf
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 13 Jul 2007 01:51
Road pricing is inevitable if...... - David Horn
You do realise, of course, that the most efficient form of hydrogen production involves burning natural gas? ;)
Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Will you have to pay the low emissions charge?

Use our ULEZ checker to find out if your vehicle is subject to ULEZ charges. Simply enter your number plate into the Honest John ULEZ checker to see if you will have to pay to enter the London Ultra Low Emission Zone.

Check your vehicle

If you cover no more than 100 miles per day and have easy access to a charging point at home or work, then an EV is ideal for you.

Is an electric car right for me?