Green Options » Sebastian James

(Opinion): The Next “Green” Problem: Paying for Highway Construction and Repair

Sebastian James — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 17:52:50 +0000

Being a member of the reality-based coalition, I love the idea of hybrid and electric cars. Makes me happy to stick it in the eye of Big Oil, that Castro-esque nut in South America, and OPEC.

But the next thing we need to start thinking hard about is something we all hate…which is linked to something we all love. The collection of gax taxes and a smooth, efficient road system.

As we all know, gas taxes pay for road construction and repair. Even though we hate the tax, we despise pot-holed roads with a religious fervor. Here in Chicago, we’re afflicted by a new breed of pothole, smaller but substantially deeper; perfect for shearing wheels and axles.

The tax is reasonably efficient in its administration. He who buys gas helps pay for the roads. How much do we buy and pay?

In 2007, Americans purchased 142 billion gallons of gasoline, which at 18.7 cents per gallon, gave us about $26 billion dollars in federal funds for highway repair. That was based on an 2006 average of 23.27 mpg for all US passenger cars and light trucks. Clearly the number doesn’t include diesel taxes or state fuel taxes as well.

Just before I was ready to sharpen a pencil and do some “cipherin’”, as Jethro Bodine called it, I saw this great analysis on lost gas tax revenue due to higher MPG by the great state of Oregon. It’s from 2005, which shows you some people have been thinking about this for awhile. The study is a quick but dense read, so I encourage you to go to to page 6 for the assumptions, and page 8 for the conclusions.

It’s Smart to Buy Hybrid Cars Even When Gas Prices are Low

Sebastian James — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 16:45:45 +0000

I’m sure you’ve all read or heard people on TV saying that hybrid and electric cars won’t really catch on because oil prices are so low right now. Most of the time the comment goes unchallenged — which is really irritating for a number of reasons.

What Does the Obama Stimulus Bill Mean for Green Car Lovers? Part I

Sebastian James — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 17:27:52 +0000

Editor’s Note: Sebastian is the newest addition to Gas 2.0’s writing team. Welcome Sebastian!

The 900-pound gorilla in the waiting rooms of the industries serving the green car market has been H.R. 1, or the Obama Stimulus Plan. Regardless of how much the Democrats ballyhooed it, or how much the Republicans maligned it, the bill will be signed into law by President Obama today.

So what does it really mean for the hybrid and electric vehicle industry? To reduce it to its essence: Mo’ money.