Victorian Government considering fitting EVs with GPS trackers to slug owners with per-kilometre charge

Electric vehicles could be fitted with GPS tracking devices in Victoria so that a usage-per-kilometre fee can be accurately billed, according to a working group report tabled to the government’s Board of Treasurers.

The document, reportedly leaked, explores options for how the state government can accurately measure how many kilometres EV owners drive, one of which is a GPS tracking.

The options include self-reporting, a hubodometer, GPS tracking and in-vehicle telematics, and goes on to list tracking as the most accurate, but also the most controversial.

“Each option has its corresponding benefits and risks,” the report reads.

“For example, while more advanced tracking devices would facilitate automation and more sophisticated RUC [road user charge] models that could account for factors such as time of travel, road type and zoning, they also raise data security and privacy concerns that may reduce community acceptance of a new RUC scheme.”

The report identities EVs as among the most technologically advanced vehicles on the road, and so also perfect for using the on-board navigation or telematics to comprehensively track movement.

Among the pros, the report lists “Provide extensive information on the vehicle’s whereabouts such as position, speed and distance travelled.”

The same document also describes any proposed new taxes that don’t also include concessions as “likely to discourage ZLEV uptake” and as having the “potential to drive market incentives away from ZLEV and toward fuel efficient ICEVs.”

No final decision has yet been reached, but the outcry to the proposed taxes in South Australia, NSW and Victoria has been swift and powerful.

Ostensibly a replacement for the fuel excise that ICE drivers are slugged with, most plans include a charge-per-kilometre for EV owners. In Victoria, for example, that charge is 2.5 cents.