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OSU, ODOT give gas tax alternative first road test
By Gregg Kleiner, OSU, (541) 737-9684
SOURCES:
David Kim: (541) 737-8858
James Whitty: (503) 986-4284
CORVALLIS – Researchers at the Oregon State University College of Engineering will unveil and demonstrate two wireless Vehicle Miles Traveled systems on Friday that might one day replace Oregon’s gasoline tax.
The systems were developed by OSU professors David Kim and David Porter using a grant from the Oregon Department of Transportation. The systems employ wireless technology to calculate how many miles a vehicle travels between refueling, then automatically read this data, compute a total fee, and add this fee to the cost of fuel while a vehicle is at the fuel pump.
"Oregon House Bill 3946 mandates that ODOT develop alternatives to the current system of taxing highway use through fuel taxes," said James Whitty, manager of the ODOT Office of Innovative Partnerships and Alternative Funding, "One alternative is a mileage fee based on the number of miles driven on roads within Oregon. According to the research OSU has performed, it appears that a VMT fee is a very workable solution, and Oregon would be the national leader if the Oregon Legislature makes the decision to implement this fee system."
A year ago, ODOT came to OSU because of the College of Engineering’s Mobile Technology Solutions Laboratory, the only one of its kind in the Pacific Northwest. ODOT tasked researchers in the lab with development of preliminary prototype VMT systems that employ the latest in wireless and radio frequency technologies. In addition, ODOT wanted to ensure that the proposed VMT fee would be fair, affordable to implement, and not infringe in any way on personal privacy.
"This project has been exciting and challenging because as far as we know, nobody else has ever developed such a system," Kim said. "The prototype systems we will be demonstrating on Friday indicate that from a technology standpoint, this system is definitely viable."
Kim stressed that the systems developed at OSU do not allow storage or retrieval of any location or personal information, or the time or dates mileage was logged. The only information captured is the total number of miles driven since the last fueling.
The demonstration includes a 10:15 a.m. overview of the prototype systems in the Journey Room of the Memorial Union on the OSU campus, followed by a real-time demonstration involving five vehicles and a test gas station set up at the Oak Creek Building on campus (30th and Western).
Researchers will drive the vehicles through several zones set up within the city to demonstrate how miles are counted electronically using the GPS or odometer system and how the user fee is then wirelessly incorporated into fuel purchases at the test gas station pumps.
Researchers say systems with GPS as part of the on-vehicle device could employ "congestion pricing," which is the use of different per-mile rates based on different geographic locations or times of day. The system would also not count any miles logged beyond the borders of the state, researchers say.
In addition to Kim and Porter, the project includes four graduate and has supported eight undergraduate engineering students, as well as AFX Technologies International, a Dallas (Texas)-based company that specializes in wireless technology, and Digital Consulting and Software Services, a company specializing in service station point-of-sale systems.
For more information about the OSU College of Engineering, visit: http://engr.oregonstate.edu. For more information about ODOT, visit: http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT.
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