Most electric vehicle buyers expect to deal with charging times, range anxiety, and the intricacies of different public charging networks. Few expect the government to hand them a $200 bill at registration renewal on top of all of that.
That's exactly what happened to one Chevrolet Blazer EV owner, who says the fee from the state of Tennessee became one of the things he wishes he'd known before buying an electric vehicle. Creator Crunch O’Malley (@crunchomalley) details his thoughts and lingering questions as a recent EV buyer in a TikTok that’s been viewed more than 1,600 times.
“I've got three things for you that I wish I had known about before buying an electric vehicle. And I don't necessarily know that they're all a negative, but let me talk to you about them,” he said.
Hidden Costs And Concerns Of EV Ownership
The first surprise came when O'Malley compared the registration renewal costs for the two Chevrolets sitting in his driveway. His family's 2019 Chevrolet Equinox costs roughly $30 to renew in Tennessee. The Blazer EV, meanwhile, carries an additional fee of about $200 because it doesn't consume gasoline and therefore doesn't contribute to state fuel tax collections.
