NFR EV's?

Non-fishing related
YES! I have rooftop solar, and I don't understand why we're building solar farms on open ground before putting them on every roof or over every parking lot.
THREAD DRIFT: Matt - I too think having a solar array at individual homes is a stellar idea. How affordable is it? Is there a payback and what does that time line look like? What incentives are offered and by whom? I don't see "solar" advertised in our area, nor do I see any contractors advertising their specialty in solar.
 
Honest question: How would you or anyone else suggest us EV owners pay our fair share for the roads? I think a simple odometer reading would be a good solution, but I also haven't thought too hard about it.
I’m not positive but I would have to believe the respective state that the vehicle is registered has a once, or possibly twice per year, vehicle inspection at which time the mileage would get entered in the states’ registry along with fossil fuel vehicles emission info, etc. I’ve not ridden in an EV for at least 5 years but I would assume the Teslas’ are equipped with Wi-Fi, etc. Big Brother be watchin’ and Starlink is the rat.
 
THREAD DRIFT: Matt - I too think having a solar array at individual homes is a stellar idea. How affordable is it? Is there a payback and what does that time line look like? What incentives are offered and by whom? I don't see "solar" advertised in our area, nor do I see any contractors advertising their specialty in solar.
I find it hard to believe rooftop solar is an investment with any kind of reasonable ROI in Washington or Oregon. Not only because of cloud cover but your electric rates are what, $0.15/kW? I just finished first year of rooftop solar at my place in Central Valley of California and for me it’s a great investment, figuring on a 5-6 year ROI, possibly less. But I’m paying $0.30-0.58/kw depending on time of use and there’s well over 300 days of sunshine a year (9” rain average).
In response to Matt Paluchs post, almost all the big stores here have rooftops full of solar panels as well as local city government and schools covering their parking lots with solar panels.
 
I find it hard to believe rooftop solar is an investment with any kind of reasonable ROI in Washington or Oregon. Not only because of cloud cover but your electric rates are what, $0.15/kW? I just finished first year of rooftop solar at my place in Central Valley of California and for me it’s a great investment, figuring on a 5-6 year ROI, possibly less. But I’m paying $0.30-0.58/kw depending on time of use and there’s well over 300 days of sunshine a year (9” rain average).
In response to Matt Paluchs post, almost all the big stores here have rooftops full of solar panels as well as local city government and schools covering their parking lots with solar panels.
$5.8 cents / kW in Grant - which is why you don't see a lot of solar panels in Grant, Chelan and Douglas counties.
 
Everyone pay a flat tax for up to so many miles. Pay an additional sliding scale tax based on vehicle mileage over XXXX miles.
Pay an additional sliding scale tax based on vehicle weight over XXXX lbs.
Pay an additional tax if you use studded tires or chains.
Get a tax credit if the vehicle has less than 4 wheels.

Not happening. Washington hates Motorcycles. I'm still wrapping my head around the weight fee on five bikes.
 
I think this is a cool idea:


I think that is a cool idea. I'm all for good ideas. I'm not anti progress. I'm anti fleecing and anti bad idea. We were at one time the most innovative United country on the planet. There's no reason we can't get some of that back. Ideas like the above are the way forward. Who could argue that as a bad idea.
 
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Not even. This is WA state, where the gov't. has never seen a tax it doesn't absolutely love. My understanding is that the WA economy is doing so well that the state treasury is awash with money. Yet they want more. Because like a true blue 0.01 percenter, there is so such thing as having enough until you have it all.
I think the populous hasn’t figured that out yet, come time to vote.
 
The VOLT-AMP Tax bill is coming. State and Federal taxes. All volts and amps will be taxed to pay for the roads and light rail projects. Meanwhile work from home apps continue to decrease commuter hours.

No BEV for me. I'm holding out for a better fuel cell powered car.
 
I'm think you misinterpreted my response. Why repeal the gas tax? If you are driving an electric you can pay by the mile. If you are driving gas, you pay the gas tax.

I suspect hybrids would have to pay by the mile, or a hybrid tax.

I don't think that it will be more than 15 years for their to be 50% non-gas or hybrids on the road. The average car age in the US is 11.5 yrs old.
We already pay a higher tax in the form of our higher cost for annual registration. My F150 costs $85 a year. My PHEV costs over $600 .

None of any governments business how much I drive a year. KMA on submitting an odometer reading. Mandatory transponder installation for compliance? UH NO!!
 
THREAD DRIFT: Matt - I too think having a solar array at individual homes is a stellar idea. How affordable is it? Is there a payback and what does that time line look like? What incentives are offered and by whom? I don't see "solar" advertised in our area, nor do I see any contractors advertising their specialty in solar.
Pat, I was in Vancouver recently and visited an engineering friend that I worked with for years. He and his wife bought a decaying house in the old part of downtown Vancouver, razed it and built a new house that nearly exactly resembled all of the old homes in the area. With a couple of major differences. Outstanding insulation and far more big windows than the older houses and the entire south facing roof covered in solar panels at the optimum year around angle. Even in cloudy Vancouver the roof is producing over 10,000 kWh's and his average annual usage is right around 8,000. Whatever the cost was I'm sure it was more than compensated by the sale of their previous home, no longer needed once the kids were grown. They are essentially off grid in a busy downtown area.

I stayed with another engineering friend that is also planning to build a period house on an acre and a half overlooking the Columbia River. He has made 3D printed models of it and it will be a showplace and thoroughly modern when complete but will look like a mid 19th century luxury home. I asked him why a couple in their late 60's was building a 2 story home and he replied that an elevator is only a $39,000 expense, a nearly insignificant cost given the price of a new home.
 
We priced out solar panels on our house and the outbuildings on our property. Having natural gas for our hot water tank and stove, we don't' burn enough electricity on the other household electronics.
The salesmen was honest and said he really wanted to make the sale, but it would be decades before we made a penny at the current rates.
 
When every new mine or other mineral extraction project is challenged by conservationists, green activists, sportsman and NIMBYs its going to be a very tough row to hoe and cost everyone a lot of $$$. A few will get rich, many will have lifestyles destroyed.

When reality sets in.

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I find it hard to believe rooftop solar is an investment with any kind of reasonable ROI in Washington or Oregon. Not only because of cloud cover but your electric rates are what, $0.15/kW? I just finished first year of rooftop solar at my place in Central Valley of California and for me it’s a great investment, figuring on a 5-6 year ROI, possibly less. But I’m paying $0.30-0.58/kw depending on time of use and there’s well over 300 days of sunshine a year (9” rain average).
In response to Matt Paluchs post, almost all the big stores here have rooftops full of solar panels as well as local city government and schools covering their parking lots with solar panels.
Our power bill in the winter here in Western Washington went from $350/month to the $20 minimum charge (House built late 1950s, shitty insulation that I can’t replace without completely re-siding the house which I can’t do without lead paint abatement…). That alone saved us more than the monthly on the loan we took out to get them. We run our AC almost all summer (house is always 72), and still only pay $20/month:

As for the loan, we got an instant 1/3 rebate from the federal government (Solar at home means far less infrastructure needs to be in place as every kw we produce saves 2 kw from having to be made at the power plant.) Furthermore, the WA state program of paying us per kw produced (whether we used it or sent it back to the grid) more than covered the loan we took out.

Total out-of-pocket for solar panels, a run-the-house-for-three-days battery pack, and a heat pump that gives me blessed AC? $175.

Saving totals in the thousands at this point, plus the intangible benefit of guiltless AC and (now that the contractor’s mistake has been fixed) no power outages.
 
Honest question: How would you or anyone else suggest us EV owners pay our fair share for the roads? I think a simple odometer reading would be a good solution, but I also haven't thought too hard about it.
According to a recent online search about it, Washington will be implementing this in 2025. The tax will be 2.5 cents per mile and only applies to public roads. Some reporting options kicked around have been:
1. Smarthphone app
2. GPS tracker
3. Yearly odometer reading

If using option 3, I would like to know how they plan to exclude mileage driven on private or out-of-state roads.
 
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