A research report submitted to the California Legislature this week by the University of California, Davis’ Institute of Transportation Studies proposes switching EVs to a mileage-based road-funding fee (road user charge, RUC) while continuing to have gasoline-powered cars pay gasoline taxes. The report, “Assessing Alternatives to California’s Electric Vehicle Registration Fee,” was requested by the California Legislature. Since electric vehicles use no gasoline, EV drivers pay no gasoline tax. As more people drive EVs, gas-tax revenue for road repairs is dwindling. To address the shortfall, many states, including California, have opted to charge an extra registration fee for electric vehicles. That approach is not a sustainable or effective solution, according to report author Alan Jenn, a UC Davis research scientist with the Plug-In Hybrid & Electric Vehicle Research Center. We find that the registration fee is not a sustainable mechanism to provide adequate funding as California transitions towards ZEVs. […]