Electric Car Tax

I have just come across a couple of intersting articles. These articles have inspired some serious thought on my part about the future of oil in our country (the nessasity) and the future of electric cars.

One article I found details the law that the Senate apporved for a $100 tax per year for electric cars. This tax proposed because polititans fet that owners of electric cars were not doing their part to invest in the roads because they were not paying the tax on the gasoline. Well, this seems to defeat one of the purposes of owning an electric car, anyway. The purpose of avoinding pricey gas and going eletric is countermannded by this tax. While electric cars may still bennefit the environment it seems the government just wants to make it more expensive and harder to do.

So I decided to find out if the gas taxes really even go toward roads. Turns out they do, however, in the article I read it turns out that all the revenues combimes which are car related are not ven enough to pay for the roads people use daily. Money from other areas is needed to pay for the roads. This article suggested that simply building the roads was harmful to the envirnment and that we should follow suit with other countries and replace our freeways and highways with highspeed rail cars.

Could the future of the car be to drive only in the city?  It seems we may actually be able to become even less dependant on foreign oil than I thought. If we use rail systems we would be less dependant on cars and thus oil. We would not longer have to buld pricey roads and pay for the upkeep. It sounds like a great idea, but American's don't like to be crammed in tight spaces with a bunch a strangers... hmm

Sources.
http://www.theolympian.com/2011/03/30/1597321/senate-oks-road-tax-on-electric.html
http://www.uspirg.org/home/reports/report-archives/transportation/transportation2/a-track-record-of-success-high-speed-rail-around-the-world-and-its-promise-for-america