A Georgia Problem: The Legislature Must Solve It

A Georgia Problem: The Legislature Must Solve It

When drivers of gasoline or diesel-powered vehicles go to the pump for fuel, they all pay the same price for each gallon of fuel. Moreover, a gallon is a gallon is a gallon anywhere you get it, even if it is priced differently by each seller. The buyer can shop based on price if he or she chooses.

 

The same is not true for electric vehicles. They need to be recharged, but not all electric vehicles charge at the same rate, even from the same chargers. Still, a kilowatt-hour is a kilowatt-hour is a kilowatt-hour anywhere one gets it.

 

That gives rise to the problem. Georgia mandates that charging sessions be priced by the duration of the charging session. One vehicle may achieve the same state of charge gained in a shorter time than others, so the owners of vehicles that take longer will pay more for the same amount of electric power. The solution is to charge by the kilowatt-hour, which are priced equally like gallons of fossil fuel, not by the time.

 

Georgia should mandate that electric vehicle charging be done on a per kilowatt-hour basis. Georgia should join the 30 or more States that have adopted this commonsense pricing structure, particularly given that federal funding is now conditioned on kilowatt-hour pricing.