China¡¯s new generation of supersized electric vehicles ¡ª some more than 5 meters long and weighing three tons ¡ª is straining the nation¡¯s roads while starving the government of fuel taxes to maintain them.
Six out of 10 new cars launched in the first half of this year stretched more than 5 meters ¡ª about the length of a Ford Explorer SUV. By comparison, just 2% of new models were compact vehicles under 4.5 meters, down from 13% a year earlier, according to Cui Dongshu, secretary-general of the China Passenger Car Association.
The popularity of big, heavy cars is creating a fiscal dilemma for China¡¯s local governments. Beijing bankrolls major national highways and collects a fuel tax that is distributed to regional authorities to maintain local roads. However, that revenue is dwindling as EVs, which tend to be heavier than gasoline cars, account for an ever-growing slice of China¡¯s vehicle fleet and cause more road damage. That raises the case for overhauling how roads are funded, potentially by introducing measures such as mileage-based road user charges.
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