Some states have already started imposing a registration fee on clean vehicles to offset reduced gas tax receipts. And at some point, when a significant proportion of the country’s vehicles are EVs or PHEVs, an alternative road-funding method that does not rely on the gas tax will certainly be in order.
But EV adoption in the US has taken a severe hit since the election of President Trump and the abolition of federal clean-vehicle incentives. As of now, EVs make up barely 3 percent of the entire vehicle fleet. Meanwhile, the federal gas tax has not been increased since 1993; had it been adjusted to keep pace with inflation, it would add an extra 42.34c to a gallon rather than a pathetic 18.4 cents currently.
“Drivers of gas-powered vehicles pay approximately $73 to $89 in federal gas tax each year. The proposed fee would charge an unfair premium on EV drivers at a time when all Americans are looking for ways to save money,” said Albert Gore, executive director of the Zero Emissions Transportation Association. “This is particularly concerning as the EV fee will increase to $150 by 2035—nearly double what gas car drivers would pay in a year. This fee lands on top of the road use taxes that many EV drivers already pay at the state level.”
