Support the tax credit for electric vehicles
I’ve been driving an electric car around for two years now, so I know it’s a lot of fun, saves money and it’s a great way to save the planet.
Most major auto manufacturers are making electric vehicles, and their sticker prices are now close to comparable gas cars — and federal tax credits just about wipe out the difference.
You’ll generally have to ask about them, though: Dealers don’t like to sell electric vehicles, because they won’t make as much money for their service departments — no oil changes and much less maintenance needed than gas cars.
Last year, New Mexico made it easier to own an electric vehicle by adding chargers across the state. Now, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is looking to make it a lot easier to buy an electric vehicle, with a $2,500 tax credit that doubles to $5,000 if you make less than $50,000 a year. Unfortunately, the bill did not pass the Legislature this year over a dispute between the House and Senate of what would be a reasonable road fee for electric vehicles that don’t pay a gas tax.
Switching over to electric cars and renewable energy is part of what we need to do to protect our kids and grandkids from climate disaster. However, a punitive fee that the climate-denying Koch machine has pushed nationwide to dampen electric vehicle adoption made its way into the failed bill, and it should be removed.
A $100 yearly fee is supposed to replace electric cars’ contribution in lieu of the gas tax, but it’s much higher than the roughly $50 the owner of a fuel-efficient gas car would pay yearly in New Mexico.
Moving to electric cars is a critical step in protecting our kids’ quality of life in a dangerously shifting climate. Kudos to the governor for prioritizing a bill making it easier to buy electric vehicles. But let’s leave the punitive fees in our dust.
I would like to thank the governor for her support of an electric vehicle tax credit as well as those legislators that supported it. It is not too early to ask your state representatives and state senators to support an electric vehicle tax credit in the next session that has a more reasonable road fee of $50 annually for electric vehicles and a $20 road fee.