Got an EV? You Might Be Paying New Hidden Fees, Thanks to Congress [View all]

EV and hybrid owners have ample reasons to be unhappy

If you have listened to the evening news this week, you probably would have known that the U.S. House of Representatives passed the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" early on Thursday, May 22, right before lawmakers are set to return to their districts.

The "beautiful" bill has already drawn a lot of attention due to landmark measures packed into the document, including significant tax reform based on major cuts, Medicaid and SNAP reform, increased immigration spending, and an increase to the national debt ceiling, to name just a few.

If passed in the Senate, EV and hybrid ownership may get a little more expensive

However, packed into the text of the nearly 1,000-page bill are some measures that will affect American motorists, especially those who seek to free themselves from the crutch of the gas pump. Hidden very deep in the bill's text is an amendment titled Section 10004, or "REGISTRATION FEE ON MOTOR VEHICLES." This amendment states that the federal government will impose annual registration fees of $250 for electric vehicles and $100 for hybrids, which individual states' motor vehicle departments will collect.

Lawmakers like Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.), the chairman of the influential Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said after the bill was passed that such a provision would help fund the Highway Trust Fund, the main source of federal highway funding. He argues that as EV ownership increases and drivers adopt more fuel-efficient cars and hybrids, the gas tax could lose its relevance very quickly.

https://autos.yahoo.com/got-ev-might-paying-hidden-003000993.html

In fairness Washington state charges EV owners $100 a year when car registration is due. This is to make up for the gas tax they don't pay. Fuel taxes are solely dedicated to road construction in the state.