SRV Transportation Authority Creates “EV Fee”
by I. B. Lyon
There is a huge push worldwide right now to cut down on carbon emissions. We are all urged to go green to save the planet. There is also a big push for everyone to buy electric vehicles (EVs). Many countries in Europe have banned vehicles with internal combustion engines after specific dates in the future. Also, multiple countries in Europe have established low emission zones where drivers that have gas guzzlers have to pay a fee to enter the zones. Well, that’s not going to happen in The Valley.
The Strong River Valley Transportation Authority (SRVTA) board recently passed a ground breaking rule. The new rule will require EV drivers to pay a $1 fee per day to pass through the SRVTA’s jurisdiction. The new rule is being dubbed the “EV fee.” I spoke with the board’s chairman, Mehate Teslaz, about the new rule. Teslaz said, “The SRVTA tries to be proactive and not reactive, and we try to stay ahead of the curve. As far as I know, this is the first rule of its kind in the world. We’ve seen a large increase of EVs passing through our jurisdiction in the past few years, and the extra weight of these EVs really takes a toll on our roads, highways, and bridges. A year ago, we were seeing 7-8 EVs using our roads and highways each day, but that number has doubled to 15-16 EVs per day. We felt this rule was needed.”
Implementation and enforcement of this new rule is going to be interesting. The SRVTA did not provide any details of how they planned to implement the rule, and no one knows how they will collect the fees. Teslaz said, “The rule will go into effect in 6 months, so that gives us time to implement everything we need. We’ve talked about different ways to implement it, and one that seemed popular and plausible was requiring EV owners to register their vehicles with the SRVTA. We’d gather their personal and vehicle info, and we’d require them to install a RFID device to be scanned any time they entered the SRVTA jurisdiction. That will allow us to know their whereabouts, and we’d require the EV owners to link a payment method (credit card, Apple pay, Venmo, etc.) to pay their fees. We’d like the input of Valleyans, but the board will finalize everything in the coming months.”
This is going to be a polarizing issue. One Tesla owner I talked with was very upset about the new rule. He said, “This new rule is an egregious abuse of power. Teslaz is just trying to help his reelection chances; he’s just playing to his base. There is no need for this. How much revenue is this going to raise each year? $750? I think he’s just trying to get his country club dues paid for. I will be filing a lawsuit against the SRVTA, so I’ll see them in court.”
Another Valleyan I talked with had a different view on the rule. He said, “I like it. The SRVTA plays offense baby. They don’t play defense. We don’t like these liberal latte sipping EV owners, and we’re gonna make them pay. Teslaz for President!”
The SRVO will keep you updated on the EV fee. The coming debates and implementation are sure to provide a lot of fireworks, and we’ll be here to cover it.