article thumbnail

US COVID-19 mitigation efforts resulting in significant decline in traffic, emissions and fuel-tax revenues

Green Car Congress

A new report from the Road Ecology Center at the University of California, Davis has found that total US vehicle miles traveled (VMT) at the county and state level have declined by 61% to 90% following the various government stay-at-home orders in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fuel use dropped from 4.6 billion per week.

Fuel Tax 243
article thumbnail

UC Davis report proposes mileage fee for EVs, maintaining fuel tax for ICEs to support road repairs

Green Car Congress

A research report submitted to the California Legislature this week by the University of California, Davis’ Institute of Transportation Studies proposes switching EVs to a mileage-based road-funding fee (road user charge, RUC) while continuing to have gasoline-powered cars pay gasoline taxes.

Davis 268
article thumbnail

Mn/DOT assessing potential for mileage-based user fee to replace fuel tax; Battelle conducting technology assessment

Green Car Congress

The Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) will recruit 500 people from Wright and Hennepin counties to take part in research to test technology that could someday be used to collect a mileage-based user fee (MBUF) in lieu of a gasoline tax. These funding sources support construction and maintenance of the highway system.

Fuel Tax 262
article thumbnail

UC Davis study: roadkill declines as COVID-19 continues

Green Car Congress

Fewer wild animals, including threatened mountain lions, are becoming roadkill during shelter-in-place orders, according to a study on three states from the University of California, Davis. Photo courtesy Orange County Transportation Authority). A mountain lion from the Santa Ana range in California approaches a road.

Davis 435
article thumbnail

Study concludes significant additional transport policy interventions will be required for Europe to meet its GHG reduction goal

Green Car Congress

Transport GHG emissions in the “No New Policies” case (NNP) and the “Lowest” case (L). As deeper cuts are likely to be made in other sectors, this requires a cut of at least 60% in transportation GHG emissions, most notably CO 2 , by midcentury. Dray, from the University of Cambridge, Andreas Schäfer from Stanford, and Moshe E.

article thumbnail

Study finds higher gasoline taxes do not disproportionately impact the poor, especially in developing countries

Green Car Congress

However, a new study by researchers at the University of Gothenburg (Sweden) finds that middle- and high-income earners are generally affected the most by gasoline taxes, especially in poor countries, rather than poor people. —Thomas Sterner, Professor of Environmental Economics at the University of Gothenburg.

Tax 239
article thumbnail

Study finds that increased vehicle travel and decreased occupancy have undercut the impact of improving fuel economy over last 40 years

Green Car Congress

The study includes a brief discussion on the effects of potential future changes in vehicle fuel economy, vehicle distance travelled, and vehicle load on the amount of fuel used for personal transportation. occupants, vehicle distance travelled would be reduced by about 15%, while vehicle fuel economy would worsen by about 1%.