Loge's bill stamps fee on electric vehicles
Electric Tesla vehicles at a showroom in San Jose, Calif. (Michael Macor/San Francisco Chronicle via AP FILE)
Legislation that would create an annual registration fee on electric vehicles passed through the state House on Jan. 25.
House Bill 60, sponsored by Rep. Denley Loge, R-St. Regis, seeks to establish a yearly fee for electric vehicles based on the vehicle’s weight. The fee would range from $130 for Class 1 vehicles to $1,400 for Class 4. Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles would be dinged with fees ranging from $70 to $700.
“Electric vehicles owners do not pay gas tax to fund highway maintenance, and House Bill 60 ends the free ride these vehicles have been getting,” Loge said in a statement after his bill passed in the House.
A fiscal note attached to the bill estimates that there were 2,895 electric vehicles in the state at the beginning of last year. The vast majority, 85%, are considered Class 1 vehicles.
Revenue is expected to be about $570,790 in 2024, assuming there would be 4,893 total electric and hybrid vehicles paying the fee. Revenue is projected to increase to $1.25 million by 2027.
The funds would go to the state Department of Transportation’s highway account.
The legislation is currently pending in the Senate.
“This is the culmination of years of hard work,” Loge said. “I’m glad to see this pass with such support.”
According to Loge, 19 other states have a similar fee in place.
Loge is also floating legislation that would put a tax on electric vehicle charging stations in the state.
The rate would be set at 3 cents per kilowatt hour.
A fiscal note estimates revenue of about $324,000 in 2025, and increasing to $647,000 in 2027.
The funds would go to the state Department of Transportation’s highway account.