Overview
- Rep. Sam Graves plans to include an annual fee for electric vehicles in a five‑year surface transportation bill that House leaders aim to start crafting in April.
- The emerging proposal would charge EV owners up to $250 per year, and Reuters reporting cited by Gizmodo says hybrids could face a $100 annual fee.
- Graves’ office says the fee would help stabilize the Highway Trust Fund, which depends on a federal gas tax set at 18.4 cents per gallon since 1993 and brings in about $40 billion against roughly $60 billion in typical annual spending.
- EV owners already pay various state‑level costs, with examples including Texas’s $400 initial registration plus $200 annually and New Jersey’s $250 fee that rises to $290 by 2028, meaning a federal charge would add to existing surcharges.
- Opponents argue flat fees can exceed what an average gas driver pays in federal tax—about $95 per year—and favor per‑mile systems such as Oregon’s OReGO, which bills drivers based on actual road use.