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Working group backs voluntary mileage-based option for EV owners amid privacy and equity debate
Summary
The working group voted to include a voluntary, odometer-only mileage-based road-user charge (RUC) in its report as an alternative to the EV registration surcharge; members debated privacy, apportioning out-of-state mileage and how the measure would replace lost gas-tax revenue.
Representative Elkins presented a voluntary mileage-based road-user charge (RUC) as an alternative to the EV registration surcharge and argued it is a practical proxy for taxing electricity used as vehicle fuel because most EV charging happens at home and current metering is impractical. He described a system that reads odometer totals electronically (no trip/location data) and issues periodic invoices modeled after Utah’s program.
Elkins said manufacturers’ vehicle telematics and odometer interfaces make odometer-only reporting feasible: 'All we have to do is electronically read the odometer readings from the car the way that Utah is doing it.' Members raised privacy concerns about location data and noted the proposed opt-in design would collect odometer readings only, explicitly avoiding trip-level tracking.
Key concerns and responses:
- Privacy: Several members flagged privacy implications of GPS-based tracking; the Elkins proposal limits data collection to odometer readings and excludes location data to reduce privacy risk. - Out-of-state mileage capture: Members asked how to apportion miles driven out of state. Discussion referenced IFTA-like multi-state apportionment and noted that full multi-state coordination may be premature; proponents said a threshold of mostly in-state driving makes odometer-only reporting a reasonable near-term proxy. - Equity and revenue parity: Supporters argue a mileage-based charge can be set so EV owners pay roughly what comparable gasoline vehicles pay; opponents worried about the administrative guarantee that funds would be constitutionally dedicated without further statutory or constitutional steps.
Vote and next steps: The working group voted to include the voluntary odometer-only RUC as a recommendation in the draft report (roll call recorded 7 in favor, 2 opposed, 11 abstentions). Staff were instructed to draft program elements, privacy protections and explain how a mileage-based program could be an opt-in alternative to the EV surcharge for inclusion in the group's report to the legislature.
Implications: The measure would be voluntary and designed to avoid trip-level tracking; it will require further specification for rate-setting, data-access agreements with manufacturers or service providers, and careful language about how multi-state mileage is apportioned. Proponents suggested indexing the rate so it tracks parity with gasoline tax revenue over time.
