The promise of lower running costs is one of the major reasons many people give for switching to electric and hybrid vehicles. But for Florida drivers those savings might not be quite as big as they anticipated.
A lawmaker from the state has just introduced a bill that if passed would mean EV owners having to pay an additional yearly registration fee. Drivers of full EVs would face a $200 annual charge (rising to $250 in 2029) on top of their usual registration fees, which in Florida currently range from $50 to $255. PHEV owners could feel the sting, too. They’d be hit with a more modest $50 levy.
The bill aims to make up for the reduction in tax revenue Florida expects to suffer over the coming years as people increasingly move away from conventional combustion-powered vehicles and to electric cars, trucks and SUVs. The state uses gas tax dollars to pay for transport projects, and although EVs only account for less than one percent of new vehicle sales in 2023, meaning the impact is low right now, Florida lawmakers are concerned that revenues could drop by as much as 20 percent come 2040.
Related: Texas EV Owners To Pay $200 Annual Registration Fee From Sep 1
The bill, according to Fox News 13, was filed by State Senator Ed Hooper, a Republican from Clearwater who chairs the Appropriations Committee on Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development, and who is only the latest in a line of politicians from across the country to make such a proposal for their region.
More than 30 states already charge EV owners extra to use their cars, including Washington, Georgia, Arkansas and Ohio, while lawmakers in Texas with similar concerns passed their own measures earlier this year to introduce a $200 yearly fee. According to Nasdaq, the smallest annual charge is in Hawaii, which stands at $50, though some states, like Kentucky, don’t charge anything at all, as yet. EV drivers in Washington are hit hardest: they have to hand over $225 every year.
Even factoring in the fees most people would still find an EV cheaper to run than ICE car if they were charging at home and there are plenty of other upsides to EV ownership. But would (or do) annual EV fees make you think twice about switching to electric power?