Paying the price for efficiency on the road
While hybrid
gas-electric cars
are eco-friendly,
the registration
fee is twice
that of gasoline
powered vehicles
By Marcus Hathcock
lor the Emerald
On Earth Day, the only way to cruise is in
an energy-efficient, eco-friendly-car.
Like something out of a space-age
movie, car makers are producing
half gasoline-powered/half electric vehicles
called hybrids.
Two hybrid vehicles have already appeared
on the mass market: the Toyota Prius and the
Honda Civic Hybrid. These cars contain both a
gasoline-powered engine and an electric bat
tery that the engine charges. According to Hon
da and Toyota, the motor operates the car at
low speeds and during city driving, while the
engine is used for driving speeds a generator
cannot handle.
The Prius and the Civic both average 48 miles
per gallon, according to Honda. Toyota claims
that on the highway, the Prius' efficiency im
proves to 52 mpg.
“I think it's new territory for people,” Roma
nia Toyota salesman Bob DeBell said. “Everyone
is always a bit wary of new technology, but these
hybrids are becoming more and more popular.”
While these vehicles have the advantage of
being ecologically sound and economically
smart, the Oregon Legislature recently enacted
a bill doubling the registration fee for such hy
brids. House Bill 2133 affected many different
types of vehicles, and changed hybrid owners’
two-year registration fees from $30 to $60.
“On the surface, this (fee) sounds like a disin
centive (for people to buy hybrids),” Oregon De
partment of Motor Vehicles spokesman David
House said. “It's simply a method to fund the
highway system.”
According to House, most of the money the
Oregon Department of Transportation receives
for highway maintenance comes from the 24
cents per gallon gasoline tax. He said that since
hybrid vehicles do not consume as much gaso
line as traditional vehicles, the Oregon Legisla
ture had to make up for the potential financial
loss.
House added that while the double fee for hy
brid vehicles may seem unfair and could be a
discouragement to would-be buyers, Oregon's
vehicle registration fees are the “second lowest”
in the nation.
“In other states, the registration fee is based
on the value of the car,” he said. “A two-year reg
istration could be $400 to $600 for a new car.”
With that in mind, House said Oregon's registra
tion fees aren't that bad.
If the $60 fee still seems too steep, House said
the government provides hybrid buyers a state
income tax credit worth up to $1,500.
“The state provides an
incentive for people
who purchase
these vehicles,”
House said.
University Senior Research Associate of
Physics Frank Vignola said that while the tax
break is a good incentive, the registration fee is
“foolish” and unnecessary.
“I've heard people grumbling about this,” Vi
gnola said. He said that it's not the fee itself
that irritates people; it’s that the government
should simply take $30 off the $1,500 tax cred
it, instead of giving money out and then taking
some of it back.
“I don't think they realized what they were
what they were doing when (the Legislature)
proposed this bill,” Vignola said. “It's a mistake
that can be fixed, but needs to be fixed.”
DeBell said that the higher registration fees
have little to no effect on hybrid buyers.
“People don’t usually worry about the regis
tration fee,” DeBell said. “That's just something
people expect to pay. Some people are a little
miffed that they're buying an ecologically sound
car and are being penalized for it, but that does
n't stop them from buying it.”
Marcus Hathcock is a freelance reporter for the Emerald.
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