January 28, 2008

Lower Tolls for Green Cars

Around the world, toll agencies are giving discounts to owners of green cars, reports the New York Times, and last November the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced it would offer a $2 E-ZPass discount to the owners of a Toyota Prius, Honda Civic Hybrid and Honda Insight, models from 2000 to 2004. The plan follows the example of the New York State Thruway Authority, which introduced 10 percent E-ZPass discounts on those cars in 2006.

The thruway authority has issued about 1,240 green tags out of nearly 2.3 million tags over all. Gov. Jon S. Corzine of New Jersey said this month that he would consider introducing green discounts on that state’s toll roads as well.

Europe has its own plans. Milan’s system, called EcoPass, levies a charge based on vehicle emissions in five engine classes. Owners pay $2.90 to $14.50 on weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Vehicles with methane, electricity and hybrid engines, as well as ambulances and many motorcycles, are exempt. On Feb. 4, London will start charging a pollution fee on most buses and trucks entering much of the city. Electric cars and other clean vehicles are exempt.

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