The Utah Department of Transportation in the US has awarded Emovis, the Abertis Group subsidiary specialising in development and management of toll technology, a project to implement and operate the Road Usage Charge (RUC) payment system for electric and alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs).
The system is devised to manage a toll collection on AFVs vehicles to finance road maintenance, given that this kind of vehicles do not pay the fuel tax in the US for this purpose.
With a planned duration of 5 years (initial 3 years with a 2-year extension by a further two), the system is expected to start operating in January 2020.
Road User Charge (RUC)
Under this program, eligible vehicle owners will be given the choice to pay a flat fee in lieu of fuel tax or opt for a pay-per-mile charge (Road User Charge (RUC) programme). The RUC programme is a pilot scheme whereby eligible users will pay a pay-per-mile charge to use roads based on miles covered, rather than by gallons of petrol consumed via the existing fuel tax. The per-mile charges accumulated will be capped at the equivalent of the annual flat fee.
This contract will further increase Emovis' experience in projects for the progressive implementation of the pay-per-use system for infrastructure. In the United States Emovis is already involved in RUC services in Oregon and a pilot scheme in Washington. Emovis is a key player for several decades in the US market, where it has developed numerous electronic toll payment projects.
The fuel tax is a significant finance source for Transportation Authorities in the United States to maintain their road networks. The rapid spread of electric vehicles –meaning that vehicles would stop consuming petrol in the future– is posing tax revenues from fuel. In order to tackle this issue, States are seeking a more stable source of funding to finance the maintenance of roads. RUC systems such this one in Utah are consolidating as alternative financing systems in the US.
Anthony Alicastro, Emovis CEO, said: “This project constitutes a major milestone in the transformation of the road mobility landscape. I am pleased that our company plays a leading role in this new market which is important to the Abertis group.”
Note to Editors
Emovis is the leading service delivery and technology subsidiary of Abertis in the global markets for electronic tolling and smart mobility solutions. Emovis has over 700 employees in 6 countries and operates some of the world's largest electronic toll infrastructure in the United Kingdom, Ireland, the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada.
A wholly-owned subsidiary of Abertis, Emovis is a long-term and reliable partner for transportation authorities and motorway concessionaires in the countries in which it operates.
Thanks to technological development, electronic tolling has not just become a solution for the payment of tolls roads but also plays a key role in a better traffic and congestion and pollution reduction. The Abertis Group is committed to investing in innovative technology and smart engineering to improve road safety and protect the environment, a priority boosted by the partnership of Abertis and its Foundation with UNESCO.
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