Alternative Vehicles

State Legislators Explore Paths to Advance Electric Vehicle Marketplace

Monday, November 19, 2018 at 10:17 AM

While the public benefits of electric vehicles are becoming increasingly clear, they continue to represent only a small percentage—a little over 1 percent—of new vehicle annual sales in the United States. State legislatures have numerous strategies at their disposal they can deploy to help improve the marketplace for electric vehicles, from helping to expand electric vehicle charging access to encouraging the electrification of public fleets. California and New Hampshire are two states at different stages in their efforts to advance the electric vehicle marketplace. CSG spoke recently with two legislators who have been responsible for enacting related measures in those states.

Plug-in Electric Vehicles: Policies and Trends in the States

Liz Edmondson

Thursday, February 18, 2016 at 10:36 AM

Sales of electric vehicles have risen dramatically in recent years. From advantages such as increased fuel economy and energy security, to tax incentives for consumers and emissions reductions, electric vehicles offer a host of benefits. While the federal government offers incentives and other programs relating to electric vehicles, states, both individually and collaboratively, are developing their own policies in relation to these new vehicle technologies.

Policy Academy on Electric & Alternative Fuel Vehicles 2014—Seattle, WA—Meeting Archive

Sean Slone

Thursday, January 1, 2015 at 07:18 PM

State lawmakers from nine states attended the CSG Policy Academy on Electric and Alternative Fuel Vehicles August 7-8, 2014 in Seattle, Washington. The group heard how state and local government programs in the area are encouraging the proliferation of such vehicles. Representatives of the automotive industry and energy sector also took part in the event. Speakers also discussed California’s unique legislative landscape and policy efforts to encourage ultra-low carbon transportation. Finally, attendees got a chance to see electric vehicle charging infrastructure and other sustainable transportation programs in the Seattle region. This meeting archive includes PowerPoint presentations from several policy academy speakers, photos from the event and additional resources and links for further reading.

Alternative Fuel Vehicles: Registration and Licensing Fees

Travis Rawlings

Monday, August 4, 2014 at 11:47 AM

The Highway Trust Fund is staring down an insolvency crisis due to diminishing gas tax revenues. Central to this development are increasing fuel efficiency standards of gas powered vehicles and the roll-out of alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs), which are not subject to the gas tax in most states. However, there are more cars on the roads now than ever, and many of them are powered by alternative fuels like natural gas, propane, and electricity. Are drivers of those vehicles paying their fair share for maintaining roads and bridges? Some states have enacted flat registration and licensing fees to address these issues.

Zero Emission Vehicles Action Plan

Travis Rawlings

Monday, August 4, 2014 at 11:05 AM

In October of 2013, eight state governors signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU), committing to coordinated efforts to ensure the successful implementation of each state's Zero Emission Vehicle programs. This ZEV Action Plan is made up of 11 key steps to achieving widespread deployment of electric vehicles. It includes aggressive promotion of electric vehicles and of electric vehicle-friendly policies as a means of cleaning up transportation and stimulating job growth.

State Utilities Law and Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

Kendrick Vonderschmitt

Wednesday, October 9, 2013 at 02:20 PM

As growth of the US electric car industry hastens the network of publicly available chargers necessary to power these vehicles faces pressure to grow as well. One possible force slowing the effort to create a ubiquitous charging network is the intersection of public electric vehicle charging stations and state electric utility regulation. The primer examines state-level regulatory choices: the choice to regulate chargers as electric utilities and the choice to permit utility ownership of chargers. Both policies could have important implications for the viability of a charging market.

States Turn to Taxes on Green Vehicles for Roads

Kendrick Vonder...

Wednesday, July 3, 2013 at 01:43 PM

Virginia’s transportation bill that went into effect on July 1, it included a new $64 fee for registering “hybrid electric motor vehicles, alternative fuel vehicles, and electric motor vehicles.”. A number of other states have at least considered following suit. North Carolina’s Senate passed a measure that would tax electric vehicle (EV) owners and hybrid vehicle owners $100 and $50 respectively. The measure has yet to make it through the House. Kansas considered taxing plug in EVs as they charge, a measure that would be analogous to the way the gas tax is collected. Arizona lawmakers considered a 1.43 cent per mile tax on EVs. But such actions and proposed actions are not simply about states seeking new revenues to pay for transportation. States are also trying to even the playing field for all those who drive on America’s roads and perhaps to breathe some life back into the concept of a user fee to help maintain them. In doing so though, states must try to balance policies elsewhere that seek to encourage the proliferation of such vehicles because of their potential for environmental benefit.

Holiday Break Reading List 2011: Transportation Policy

Sean Slone

Friday, December 23, 2011 at 02:45 PM

Before I depart for the holidays, I thought I would leave you transportation policy fans with a few things to read on those iPads and Kindle Fires you may find under the tree Sunday morning. In what has become an annual tradition, it’s time to clear out the CSG Transportation inbox so we can start fresh in the New Year. There are lots of items below on many of the issues we cover regularly here on the blog including: state...

Senate Transportation Plan Gets a Hearing; States Consider Funding Options

Sean Slone

Friday, July 22, 2011 at 04:26 PM

The U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee released a three-page outline of a bipartisan bill to authorize federal transportation programs Tuesday and held the first hearing on the plan Thursday. There is also news this week about state efforts to find new sources of revenue to fund transportation, including public-private partnerships.

Recent Reports Highlight Transportation and the Environment

Sean Slone

Thursday, January 20, 2011 at 06:19 PM

I’ve written a fair amount over the last year or so about the intersection of transportation and the environment in public policy, about Sustainable Communities and Smart Growth, about Climate Change and Transportation and about Green Transportation. Several new reports on related issues have come across my desk in recent weeks. Here’s a rundown.

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