I sent the email to my state senator and representative today. Texas gave me a current opening:
As you may have heard, Texas has reinstated incentives for alternative fuel vehicles. Georgia has had such an incentive program for as long as he can remember; and this seems an opportune moment to ask for such an inducement to return hither.
I’m not exactly asking for the incentive that once applied to Georgia, as it had its flaws:
1) It was limited to battery electric vehicles (“BEVs”) only, resulting in a large fleet of Japanese Nissan LEAFs (the only affordable BEV at the time) and not the Chevrolet Volt produced in that country.
Note that the federal incentive is open to Plug-In Hybrid Vehicles (“PHEVs”) with an electric range of 40 miles or more. Studies have shown that most driving is battery-powered, except for long trips (which eliminates the need for electric vehicle charging infrastructure). Also note that when gasoline is purchased, owners must pay a tax on top of the $200 ad valorem tax on electric vehicles. It’s not much, but it’s inherently unfair.
2) Those whose taxes were $5,000 or more benefited the most from the program as a tax refund. Those who produced less (despite the fact that customers were given two years to use it) were less incentivized. Cars are not that expensive now and we need to move on to encourage a larger group of buyers. The incentive is much better expressed in the total discount offered by the dealers. In this case, I think $2500 would be acceptable.
Advantages:
1) Cleaner air. Exhaust pipes collect where people are, in major cities where air pollution is the greatest threat. Regardless of the fuel used to generate electricity, there are tangible health benefits to having more electric vehicles.
2) Diversity of fuel supply. Electricity is a domestically produced commodity: you will never see a tanker arriving from the Middle East loaded with electricity. It can be produced with a variety of fuels and methods, in contrast to today’s transportation based solely on petroleum products.
3) Greater resistance to destabilizing events. The fuel shortage caused by Hurricane Katrina in the past decade would be alleviated in the future with an adequate number of electric vehicles. This would have a direct and positive economic impact. Note that PHEVs are immune to widespread power outages because of their backup system: gas engines.
4) Load balancing. EPRI studies have shown that the electric fleet can grow to much larger numbers without harming electric transportation and generation if charged at night. There is a lower rate for night classes. This is not only a problem for the power supply company, since the construction failure of blocks 3 and 4 of the Vogtle power plant, the subsequent bond and possible supply problems for the state.
At least more electric vehicles wouldn’t hurt.
5) The previous stimulus made Georgia a regional leader in electric vehicles, which is certainly worth some “bragging,” whatever that’s worth. Georgia shines on the electric vehicle use map by state: showing that you don’t have to be “nice people” in California to stand out in positive action.
No, I didn’t mention climate change. That stance is well known and unlikely to sell well under the Gold Dome at this point.
