Paying For The Roads We Drive On
Across the Tasman, there are plenty of people getting annoyed at the increase in large, damaging potholes that have developed over the last few years on NZ’s tarmac road surfaces, even on main State Highways. Over there, for quite some time, EV owners have been getting a free ride on the coattails of motorists using an internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle and who pay their fair share of road user chargers (RUCs) and/or a large portion of tax levied on the fuel at the pumps for the roading upkeep. This got me thinking about how should we be fairly introducing EVs to the masses while maintaining our roading systems? I realize it’s likely to be a bit contentious, but it’s not a question just for New Zealand’s new government to answer; it is also worth giving a bit time to thought and discussion here in Australia.
In Australia, we pay quite a lot of money into the pool of government funds that is received on yearly vehicle registrations. According to the Australian general insurance provider, GIO, the average cost for a family car is likely to be around $1240 per year. The excise tax (an indirect tax charged by government on the sale of a particular good or service) on the common fuels used in Australia (as of 1 February 2022) is $0.442 per litre. Introducing a direct road user charge as a replacement for fuel excise tax is something that has been bandied about at various high levels of government in Australia. The idea gains extra weight particularly when you consider the seemingly imminent transition from fossil-fuel and the ICE to electric vehicles (EVs).
Hydrogen-Based ICE?
How does a 2.0-litre 4-cylinder engine boasting 302 kW of power at 6500 rpm and 500 Nm of torque between 3000 and 4000 rpm sound to you? To my ears, this is pretty impressive stuff on any given day.
Big entities AVL Racetech and Hungarian HUMDA Lab have used their know-how to work on advancing the hydrogen internal combustion engine (H2 ICE). These engines have long been known for their low performance and lean-burning capacity, but AVL Racetech and Hungarian HUMDA Lab have succeeded in producing something that changes this impression completely.
Is It Better to Buy a Hybrid Vehicle or Electric Vehicle in 2024?
So, you’re looking to purchase an eco-friendly car in 2024?
Understanding Car Depreciation: How to Maintain the Value of Your Car
Buying a new car is an exciting time. It’s fun to wander up and down a dealership looking at all the new cars to find the perfect one.
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