An all new Australian-made electric ute can travel up to 300km on a single charge.
The charges would apply only to electric vehicles initially, because they do not pay a fuel excise tax, worth 4¢ per kilometre at the bowser, like petrol and diesel powered cars. Fuel excise is in theory designed to pay for road maintenance and infrastructure but in reality is diverted to federal budget's consolidated revenue fund.
A state-based tax would allow the states to quarantine their own revenue for funding new infrastructure as the populations of Sydney and Melbourne are forecast to grow beyond 8 million each by 2050 according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
On Thursday Infrastructure Partnerships Australia will release research showing that even with a road user charge applied, electric vehicles will still be cheaper to own
and run than an internal combustion engine vehicle.
The research finds that over the lifetime of an electric vehicle, with an equivalent road user charge of 4¢ per kilometre, electric vehicle owners will save at least $3600 over an eight-year span in operating costs compared to fuel-using motorists.
Infrastructure Partnerships Australia chief executive Adrian Dwyer said it was time to act on road user charging now.CREDIT:DEAN SEWELL
Infrastructure Partnerships Australia chief executive Adrian Dwyer said the introduction of road user charges for electric vehicles would be a "home-run reform".
"Fuel excise is in terminal decline, while the total number of vehicle kilometres travelled is only growing. This trend started many years ago as vehicles became more fuel-efficient and is set to fall off a cliff as a wave of electrification hits," he said.
