Currently, 10 US states charge owners of full-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles registration fees in order to make up for lost petrol-tax revenues.
The state of Indiana could become the latest with regard to EVs, by initiating a registration surcharge for plug-in vehicles in order to help raise revenues for road repairs.
This bill would impose a $150 annual fee for electric vehicles registered within the state, bringing an estimated $2 million per year. The states of Washington and Michigan also boosted their registration surcharges for plug-in cars this past year in order to compliment infrastructure funds.
According to Forbes, the states now charging extra registration costs for plug-in cars are not exactly in line with the list of states that have the most EV owners. In fact, only three of the top 10 (Georgia, Washington & Michigan) currently have an extra registration fee to presumably make up for lost gasoline tax revenue.
To make things even more curious, California, where around half of all plug-in vehicles are sold, doesn’t charge any extra registration fees for electric cars – whereas Wyoming, which has among the fewest plug-in cars on the road, charges owners a $50 registration surcharge.
Out of all these states that impose an extra plug-in fee, Georgia is the only one that charges as much as $200 a year ($300 for commercial plug-in vehicles), whereas Idaho and Michigan charge $100 and $30 respectively.