Colorado should keep its tax credit for electric vehicles
“Drop tax cuts for electric cars,” March 28 editorial
Pulling the plug on Colorado’s electric vehicle tax credit would mean turning our back on a developing industry. All of Colorado benefits from more EVs on the road — drivers, utility customers and the air we breathe.
Consumers save about $1,000 a year in fuel, and more EVs means lower electric bills for everyone. Most charging happens at night when utilities have excess power available. Spreading those costs out, drives rates down. By 2030, ratepayers could save $70 million per year. To achieve these benefits, we need a lot of EVs. That means we need to continue to support the market in its early stages.
As automakers invest tens of billions over the next decade and battery prices drop, costs will be competitive with gasoline vehicles without tax credits, but we are not quite there yet. Let’s support the growth of this market and reap the economic and air quality benefits that come with more electric vehicles. Whitney Painter, Golden The writer is a co-owner of Buglet Solar. The Denver Post sided with Republicans who want to eliminate the state tax credit for new electric vehicles: Republicans excuse the cuts arguing they only benefit rich people; The Post says they served their purpose. It does not and it has not. We have a dramatic, world-changing set of circumstances in climate change. Converting to EVs, and getting that power from renewables, is mandatory if you care about future generations. This tax credit is a big help in the mission.
Here are the facts. Sticker price of a new Nissan Leaf or Chevy Volt is around $34,000. The state sends the tax credit to the dealership, reducing the price to $29,000. The federal tax credit, off owed taxes, is $7,500, bringing the net cost to $21,500 for a brand new electrical car. Anyone who can afford a new car can afford this.
My wife and I added ten solar panels to our roof so we also get the power for free, and got another fed tax credit. The Volt has a 420-mile range in summer, 380 winter. Our 2013 Leaf has a 90-mile range; the new ones have longer range.
We kept our ’96 Ford Ranger. It’s good to have a truck. Mark Simmons, Denver