Some High Plains states charge annual fees – or have pending legislation that would charge annual fees - to owners of electric vehicles.
As Vox reports, at the end of 2015, the Department of Energy identified nine states that levy extra yearly fees on purchases of EVs, including Colorado which charges $50.
According to the Sierra Club, since the start of 2017, six other states, including Kansas, have introduced legislation that would require EV owners to pay a fee of up to $180 a year, but according to Car & Driver reports, Kansas and Texas have tabled such bills.
Several public policies support EVs, including a $7,500-federal tax credit and various state-level incentives, including tax credits and exemptions, access to special highway lanes, and rebates on charging equipment.
EV fees, in effect, override the federal decision to support EVs and the federal tax credit now gets partially diverted into state coffers.
EVs are somewhat more expensive than comparable internal combustion (ICE) engine vehicles, which themselves are growing steadily more efficient so they are using less gas, and therefore less in gas taxes.
