Californians may end up paying the highest electricity rates in the country to charge their electric vehicles, a new study says.
The state’s tiered rate system, in which customers are charged higher rates as they use more electricity, could make plug-in hybrid and battery-powered vehicles more costly to own, according to a Purdue University study.
CA, where I am with SCE has a triple tiered rate system.
If all I run is an alarm clock, refrigerator and a light or two, a radio, TV or computer for a few hours a day I can keep my bill in the Tier I level…..
EXCEPT for the fact that a meter is only read 4 times a year.
Therefore my bill is pro-rated into Tier II and even Tier III for the first month of each quarter, often times it stays in Tier II the other two months of the quarter anyway (as I use more than the bare minimum, anyway).
But were the meter read monthly I wouldn’t pay Tier III hardly ever.
Nice con.
Now, we had a cold snap recently.
I could have warmed the whole condo with my natural gas wall heater,
But I chose room heating instead (electric).
I was in Tier III by the 2nd week of that month.
BUT electric cars plugging into my garage would bring my far into Tier III all the time.
Oddly, SCE is considering making a special allowance for electric car owners:
A dedicated plug/meter with a special low rate.
And guess who subsidizes that?
People like me!
Well, my place in Alaska and my semi-underground adobe in AZ are both capable of supporting us two….if hubby retires 100%.
He’s just not ready to close up shop.
Yet.
Just wait until the politicians figure out that they are loosing fuel tax revenue and start adding a automobile miles traveled tax to the electric vehicles.