Azuga to Research Road Usage Charges for Automated Vehicles

Azuga partners with several Western state DOTs and private collaborators to demonstrate the feasibility of applying road-user fees to driverless vehicles

Azuga, provider of connected vehicle and fleet technologies, announced that it has been selected by RUC West as the Account Management provider for the Road Usage Charge and Autonomous Vehicle Test to determine feasibility of applying road usage charges (RUC) to automated vehicles. Milestone Solutions, the project’s consulting firm, has selected Azuga as a key collaborator and leading expert on RUC systems. In partnership with private autonomous vehicle (AV) vendors and product design specialists, the research demonstration aims to analyze and validate methods for data-sharing between AV telemetry and RUC systems and to address technological and administrative considerations. The effort spans one year and will include a six-month pilot with AV vendors in Arizona, California, and Texas, and is open to receive more AV volunteers across the nation.

As today’s vehicles rely increasingly less on fuel, resulting fuel tax revenues are declining and many states are investigating revenue alternatives such as per-mile charges to secure roadway longevity and expansion. RUC West is a voluntary group of 17 state departments of transportation committed to the study of RUC viability. The collaboration of Azuga, RUC West  and other AV stakeholders will establish a smoother transition to advanced forms of revenue collection that leverage the types of account management services and mileage reporting automation Azuga is already developing and testing in places like Oregon, Hawaii, and the Eastern seaboard.

Automated vehicles (i.e. vehicles capable of driving without human intervention) are expected to have wide-ranging impacts on many aspects of the transportation system, including transportation funding. Many AVs will likely be electric and will not pay conventional fuels tax. They may also generate significantly more vehicle miles traveled than the average vehicle today, especially if AVs are deployed in autonomous taxi applications where they could drive near continuously. Currently, there is not a mechanism to fairly charge these potentially high-mileage, electric vehicles for their use of the roadway. It is likely that AVs will be deployed on more than a trial basis before road usage charging programs have evolved into a nationally interoperable system. 

“Our contribution to this project will lay the groundwork for AV businesses to intersect with RUC programs on a statewide and multi-state level,” said Azuga’s Nate Bryer, Executive Vice President of RUC. “It is estimated that over 1,400 driverless vehicles are on the road—with more on the way—and it’s probable that a mandatory RUC is necessary for these vehicles. Many states will need this research to move forward.”