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Georgia could also be a significant beneficiary of that transition. It has used billions of {dollars} in incentives to attract companies that manufacture electrical automobiles and batteries.
However the transition additionally poses challenges, together with constructing sufficient chargers to accommodate all these new automobiles. Federal funding will permit the Georgia Division of Transportation to put in 30 to 35 charging stations on main highways in coming years. However personal corporations will present a lot of the 1000’s of chargers wanted.
To encourage corporations to put in charging stations, the committee recommends altering state regulation to allow them to promote electrical energy by the kilowatt hour — a proper normally restricted to utilities. At present, companies that present public chargers hire areas by the hour or the minute.
Lawmakers say permitting companies similar to comfort shops to promote electrical energy immediately may encourage the set up of chargers and permit the state to tax the electrical energy. That would assist remedy one other main drawback — how you can pay for highway building.
At present, Georgia motorists pay 29 cents a gallon in state fuel taxes and 18 cents in federal taxes (Gov. Brian Kemp has suspended the state gas tax to battle inflation in current months). That cash pays for billions of {dollars} of highway building and upkeep throughout the state.
However fuel tax receipts are anticipated to fall as automobiles turn into extra fuel-efficient and electrical automobiles proliferate. Imposing a tax or charge on the electrical energy utilized by automobiles may assist change that misplaced income.
Georgians who personal noncommercial electrical automobiles presently pay a flat licensing charge of about $211 a 12 months to register their automobiles. Georgia may stick to a flat charge sooner or later. However the state is exploring one other potential resolution: charging motorists a “mileage-based person charge.” Underneath such a system, the extra you drive, the extra you’d pay.
GDOT will launch a voluntary mileage-fee pilot program subsequent 12 months. The committee really helpful that GDOT report its findings by the top of 2023.
The panel couldn’t attain a consensus on some points — similar to how you can permit electrical energy producers similar to Georgia Energy to promote on to electric-vehicle house owners. Convenience stores and different retailers fear that monopoly energy corporations would have an unfair worth benefit.
Such points will be the topic of additional research.
The committee finalized its suggestions Wednesday and is predicted to draft a proper report quickly.
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