Letters to the Editor

Thode letter: hybrid cars

I didn’t agree with the added registration fees for hybrids and electric cars that was put into place last year. I could see some twisted logic about road use and lack of gas tax revenues, but I thought that the added fuel economies and the absence of tons of hydrocarbons put into the atmosphere would count for something. (I noted that other jurisdictions around the country were doing exactly the opposite, lowering those fees, but then this is Idaho.)

Now, seeing a proposal to remove those added fees for hybrids while leaving them in place for electric cars confounds me. I’m on my second electric car, having turned in my lease of a Nissan Leaf and replacing it with a BMW i3 last year. I don’t understand why hybrids are to get this relief while electric car drivers will still be paying fees that are double the rescinded hybrid fees. It’s especially galling when the average annual electric car mileage is probably half that of other cars; the nature of the electric car charging infrastructure in Idaho means that we owners use them around town only, putting less than 7,000 miles annually on them.

Does this make sense?

Walt Thode, Boise

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