Nevada Transportation Future Bill 413
Nevada DOT grapples with road revenue gap… Bill 413 AWG, “who’s in your wallet?”
Electric vehicles must make up half of all new vehicle production by 2030, as mandated by the Biden administration. Volvo and Toyota have committed to being 100% EV or Alternative fuel transitioned by 2050, with Toyota promising 30 new electric battery models in the next 5 years.
Is our electric power-grid ready? In the Volkswagon Dieselgate settlement money was a set aside for PLUG-IN America- the master-planned electric highway for 95-93, nationwide. In Nevada, a series of charging stations were to be installed across all the major roadways crisscrossing our state by 2020. (see map here) The 2021 91st Nevada legislature passed Assembly Bill 413, in an effort to prepare for the costs associated with this process. Starting July 2021, the Nevada Sustainable Transportation Funding Alternative Study announced an Advisory Work Group. Among the major stakeholders at this very large table: NV Energy, LV Metro Chamber, Nevada Trucking Association, NV Business Center, Nevada Tax Payers Assoc., Governor’s Office of Energy, Nevada Resort Assoc., Atlas, NV Farm Bureau, UNLV Public Policy, NACO, NV Senate, IBEW, CAMPO, RTC, NV Assembly Chair for Growth & Infrastructure, City of Las Vegas, Tahoe Regional Planning, LAS VEGAS PAVING, NDOT, Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles, Reno/Sparks and Latin Chamber of Commerce and the Piute Tribe, Minority Council, to name a few.
Their task: Find ways to FINANCE the lost revenue from gas taxes as cars get better MPG, while establishing a financial path to afford the development of an EV infrastructure in Nevada.
You may not realize that back in 2015 the NV legislature authorized DMV to started collecting mileage data at time of vehicle registration, specifically to gather the miles on EV and Hybrid/alternative fuel vehicles, which do not smog. They had to ask everyone (including exempt and classic cars) so as not to look biased. The original proposals were to charge EV, alternative and hybrids, (which pay no FUEL tax), x $$ per mile. Now the scope was broadened to include everyone whose car is getting better than the current indexed fuel/tax standards– most of us driving 2010 or newer model vehicles. This initiative is still in the wings, DMV is collecting the data, to what end we will surely find out in our wallets the next legislative session.
As this work group grinds through an array of ideas, the most popular includes a ROAD USAGE CHARGE (currently piloted in UTAH), an increase in the gas tax at the pump, and a bump in fees collected at DMV. The AWG has until November to package a report for the 2023 legislature.
Fast track to this Nevada EV mandate.
Questions being asked across the country at PUC’s and DOT’s are: What grid? What’s peak charging time? and how much are you going to charge to plug-in?
As of last year, charging stations in Nevada can charge whatever they want. Casinos have been free but luxury high-rises in the city are sharing a piece of the revenue with the building. Tesla isn’t charging as long as you move your car when you’re ride signals it is done charging. The average cost to charge a 300 mile range car: $9.00, depending on the time of day and speed of the charger. The new TURBO chargers can zap your 325 mile battery in under 10 minutes, for the lump sum of $500.00.
The question to ask here is not “Who’s paying THAT?” but “Will NV Energy allow it in the middle of summer?”
MICRO-GRIDS will be the buzzword of 2022. These are areas where alternative energy can be trapped and sold back to the energy companies to sustain the charging demand. Do you want to provide real estate for wind turbines, solar fields, charging units? Neighborhoods with large rooftops will be evaluated for “incentives” to go solar and provide micro-grids to ease the EV plug-in drain. If you think NV Energy i.e POWERSHIFT, wants to control your thermostat now, get ready for PHASE EV. Tesla, ChargePoint, EVGO , Electrify America (to name a few) are all stepping up to make their pitch as the go to charger company. You can bet these station providers will jockey the legislature with incentive to wax campaigns as they press for no regulation on fees. While you are watching the stock prices of charge station providers, keep and eye on the NV Energy pitch to raise your rates. Those with solar rooftops should be wondering how much the PUC is going to PAY YOU for your sun-power. There are some countries that treat electric cars as energy storage units, pulling off the unused battery reclaimed through regeneration, not a thing in the US, yet.
This STATE-by-State patchwork will certainly cause confusion as you take your EV X-country. Part of the charging unit issue is the variety of charging receptacles, no standardization: Level 1, Level 2, DC., SUPERCHARGER. So far no one has mentioned AMPLE, the drive in-drive out battery swapping technology favored in other countries. (Nissan and Ample are focusing on fleets for this EV segment. Personally, I like this idea a lot. The idea of a subscription service or lease with this technology makes a lot of sense over waiting to plugin, charge up, and travel to the next station.)
Meanwhile, back home on the “open” range, the AWG is walking a tightrope between finding money to maintain the roads while keeping the constituents happy. Whatever they decide to recommend, it’s up to the legislature to pass it. If the current representatives in our Assembly and Senate don’t step up and find a way to sell it to the voters, Nevada could lose out on millions of federal money. NV drivers will continue to have major traffic on crappy roads and be left behind on the electric highway. Should suppliers like NV Energy, Las Vegas Paving, ChargePoint and the like, be chipping in? Kicking this down the road til next session on this one, could leave us at the bottom of the states list in yet another category.
WHAT’S MISSING from this conversation? YOU, the public. PUBLIC COMMENT is part of the OPEN MEETING law. This group meets the second Tuesday of the month from 9am-3pm. You can login to nvtransportationfuture.org to see previous meetings or make public comment at one of the next monthly meetings.