What are they thinking? I own a 2010 Ford Fusion because I wanted to feel good about not sending big oil my money; it has nothing to do with screwing the state out of gas tax…. In fact, buying this car will cost me almost $300 more over 10 years than the non-hybrid version. You do the math, 12,000 miles per year, 80 percent highway, 20 percent city; hybrid, 36 highway, 41 city, SE 33 highway, 22 city. Hybrid burns 325 gallons, SE burns 395 gallons (@$3.75 per gallon) that is $26.27 more tax that the SE pays per year, however the hybrid cost $6,000 more to purchase so I pre-paid $516 more in Washington sales tax at day one, (who knows what they wasted this money on already!) Assume the useful life of 10 years, I will have paid $1,736 in taxes, where the SE would have paid $1,482.
And I’m just a stupid engineer!
I can understand a plug-in electric car tax, similar to a propane powered vehicle, but I don’t see where a standard hybrid that just reclaims “potential energy” from going down hill or stopping and shutting off the engine when stuck in traffic jams or at stop lights. What is clean air worth to this state!
Barry Smith
Monroe
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