We have a Chevy Bolt EV, and pay $100 more because there's no gas pump taxes. I understand that the roads must be maintained, so I'm not squealing, and I cannot wait until I have my own EV. Every State will have to deal with the EV's that are coming.

Gas taxes, as regressive as they are, were how many states paid to maintain their roads. EV's of course are avoiding those and some method of rectifying this is necessary and appropriate. But the reality is exactly what this action in Illinois exposes. EV's should be taxed in some appropriate way that gas consuming vehicles are. Instead, it appears that states are using this opportunity to raise revenues now, before EV's become vastly more common. In 10 years it will be "this is what we've always taxed EV's to pay for roads and bridges".

100 or two hundred is just noise that will be figured out.

Tax miles driven and weight. End state tax on gasoline.

There. Figured out.

They’d have to add a device on your car. No way will they allow honesty to self report.

And as explained above, the once a year, currently mandated to get a car licensed state inspection, notes the milage. No need to self report.

They will have to hire more staff for states without inspections.

Who knew?

In Texas they're done at repair shops and gas station mechanics who are certified to do them.

I'll leave the rest of the country and it's idiosyncrasies to others.

A problem is how to fairly parse out a state tax for cars that regularly cross state lines. How, for example, does Washington state capture revenues for the significant number of miles driven there on my Oregon registered EV? Would the reciprocity balance the books between the states?

GPS tracking has been proposed, but I doubt that the citizenry is ready for THAT level of surveillance. Transponders and tolling present similar problems.

Currently, the issue has helped make EVs a battlefront in the culture wars. Social media is full of lies about safety, fires, grid pressures, and all manner of electron-driven catastrophe. The new gas stove battle is an adjacent kerfuffle.

I used to do this on a regular basis driving through Oklahoma. Never bought a drop of gas until I got to a service area in Kansas.

And in Kansas, that's where I picked up the toll road and not only did I pay their gas tax, I had to pay a toll.

I'm not recommending toll roads, but states could make reciprocal agreements about use of roads they have to maintain. Typically though, like I used to do, I was driving through Oklahoma on the Interstate. I think the funding for maintenance is different (federal?) than for local streets and roads.

Big oil will never allow futuristic hoovering cars because they won't make any money.

I wouldn't mind seeing $1.50? gallon at the gas stations again.