House Panel Proposes $130 Annual EV Fee in $580 Billion Highway Bill

12 articles · Updated · Reuters · May 18

$130 a year for electric vehicles and $35 for some plug-in hybrids would be imposed under bipartisan House legislation the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is set to consider Thursday.
The fees would help fund federally backed road repairs because EVs do not pay gasoline or diesel taxes, the main source of highway revenue under a five-year reauthorization bill before current law expires on Sept. 30.
Starting in 2029, the charges would rise by $5 annually until reaching $150 for EVs and $50 for plug-in vehicles.
The measure also orders federal safety standards for autonomous commercial vehicles within two years, pre-empts state laws in that area, and requires human operators on autonomous school buses.
The proposal lands as Congress still has not raised fuel taxes in three decades, more than $275 billion has been shifted from the general fund since 2008, and lawmakers warn an election-year funding deal may be hard by Sept. 30.

With new EV road taxes proposed while charging station funds are cut, what is the government’s true roadmap for America’s electric future?

As new EV fees could double what gas cars pay for roads, is the U.S. paving the way for fairness or penalizing progress?