Jil McIntosh

Gas taxes: who will pay to repair our roads?

  In a recent issue of AutoWeek magazine, Kevin A. Wilson -- possibly the most observant and common-sense auto writer on the continent -- brought up a point I'd not considered: as gasoline consumption drops, who's going to fund our roads?

Gas taxes don't just sit in the general coffers; they're used to build and maintain roads. If there's no money for maintenance, no one fixes the cracked pavement. Our roadbeds collapse and our bridges fall down, and eventually, the highway system deteriorates to the point that it starts destroying our cars.

As Wilson points out, cars that get better fuel economy use less gasoline, and electric cars don't use any liquid fuel at all. Less gas = less tax money = who's going to foot the bill for our roads? It's not justification for buying a gas guzzler by any means, but right now, while we're on the cusp of dramatically reducing our fuel consumption, we'd better spend just as much time figuring out how the infrastructure is going to be financed. A car that gets 60 mpg isn't much good if there's no place to drive it.

Electric vehicles: More than just the car

I just read a news report, a follow-up to Nissan's earlier announcement that it will sell a completely electric vehicle in the U.S. and Japan in 2010. The company has embarked on a full-scale study in Kanagawa Prefecture to set up a charging network and incentives program that can possibly be repeated nationally and even globally.

That's a huge report, and it's one that I hope to see with many more automakers.

Up front: I'm a fan of electric vehicles, and I think they're going to have an important place in the overall goal of sustainable transportation. But I also think that many of the people who champion them are not looking at the big picture overall.

I've spoken to many supporters, who tell me that people will simply plug the cars in at home, or plug them in at work, and that's the extent of their vision of infrastructure. The problem is that many of these supporters live in single-family homes, and work at small companies where running a few extension cords from the building isn't an issue.

But many more people live in apartment buildings, or in older city areas where they have to park on the street. Many work at large complexes or factories, where a few thousand cars might occupy the parking lot. Suddenly, the situation isn't so simple as these devotees like to think it is.

Any new technology is going to be chicken-and-egg; early motorists had to buy their gasoline from hardware stores, because gas stations had yet to be developed. By working on the hen as well as the egg, automakers and governments can help to make this happen. Maybe, in future, parking meters will charge the cars parked beside them. Maybe apartment parking lots will include stand-alone charging systems. Maybe, if they do, the electric car will be more than just a conveyance for a lucky few, and instead, become a feasible option for many.

Betcha can't drive just one ...

This is a low-fat potato chip.

It's the Cadillac Escalade Hybrid, but it just as easily could be the Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid, or the Lexus RX400h, or the upcoming hybrid SUVs from Dodge, or full-size hybrid sedans like the Lexus LS600hL or GS450h.

All of them use hybrid systems to improve their fuel mileage and reduce their emissions, and that's a good thing. But all of them have hybrid systems inside very large, very heavy (and, so far, very expensive) vehicles. And I'm betting that the majority will carry one or two people at the most, and maybe the odd bit of cargo that won't come close to the vehicle's capacity.

Hence, the low-fat potato chip, a food-like object that could only be invented in North America: when confronted with the problem of excess weight and poor dietary health, we buy versions that are slightly less bad for us, rather than reach for an apple or even question if we're hungry at all. Likewise, rather than buy a smaller vehicle, or walk more, or combine our trips so we drive less, we buy the large-by-huge SUV with the slightly better propulsion system. All the taste, a bit less fat, and the smug feeling that yes, we're making the planet a better place, one battery-powered gargantua at a time.

Small is beautiful!

No, it's not a Smart. This is a Mitsubishi i Car, and -- keep your fingers crossed -- it just might be coming to North America.

It's been on sale in Japan since 2006, and last summer, Mitsubishi brought one over to Canada and let me drive it for a few days. I took it to a cruise night where, as you can see, it proved immensely popular with the spectators. (I also had great fun with its right-hand-drive configuration in a left-hand-drive world.)

The company has announced that it will bring three i Cars to the New York International Auto Show, which starts up in a few days, including this gasoline-powered version, and an electric one that can recharge overnight on a regular household outlet or power up with a quick-charge when necessary.

Either way, it'll be great if we can get more mini-cars into the transportation mix, especially in urban environments. Unlike the Smart, the i Car holds four people (surprisingly well, given its tiny footprint), which will make it accessible to those who need more than a two-seater. This is how sustainable transportation works: not just with giant leaps, but with little steps that bring us closer to fitting each driver with the car to suit his or her needs.