Two things are almost never free in the life of an urban motorist: parking and fuel. So when I started to hear buzz among electric vehicle drivers in Boston and Cambridge that they were enjoying both, I had to check it out. On a drizzly day last week, I hopped into a white BMW coupe — one of 700 all-electric vehicles the company has leased to US drivers — and started hunting for these mythical free parking spots and complimentary charging stations.
The streets of Boston aren’t exactly clogged with electric cars. But in asking around, I found a handful of people who routinely look for a place to plug in — from venture capitalist Ric Fulop, who drives a Tesla Roadster (base price: $109,000), to Bruins defenseman Andrew Ference, who drives a Fisker Karma (base price: $96,000).
Comments
It seems inherently unfair that these drivers don't have to pay for electricity while the rest of us do. As a taxpayer I don't want to foot the bill and give these drivers a free ride when I'm being taxed up the wahoo.
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Where's the fais share crowd now? Electric and plug in hybrid drivers tend to be better off than the guy driving the five year old Toyota. Yet they pay no taxes on their fuel use. Gas taxes support the road and bridge infrastructure (try not to laugh) and these folks get a free ride.