Bringing The World Home To You

© 2024 WUNC North Carolina Public Radio
120 Friday Center Dr
Chapel Hill, NC 27517
919.445.9150 | 800.962.9862
91.5 Chapel Hill 88.9 Manteo 90.9 Rocky Mount 91.1 Welcome 91.9 Fayetteville 90.5 Buxton 94.1 Lumberton 99.9 Southern Pines 89.9 Chadbourn
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

NC Electric Vehicle Owners Could Face New Fees

Electric vehicle fuel costs are about one third the amount a conventional car spends on fuel in North Carolina.
Wikimedia Commons

State Sen. Jim Davis said more electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids means less money for North Carolina roads.

A bill filed by the western North Carolina Republican would charge EV owners a $230 registration fee − $115 for plug-in hybrid owners. The figures are based on Davis's calculation of what such cars cost North Carolina in lost annual, per-vehicle gas tax revenues.

Davis told the senate finance committee Tuesday that the bill would raise around $450,000 dollars next year and $1.2 million in 2021.

"We're trying to bring parity among all vehicles that use our highways to contribute to the highway fund and the highway trust fund," Davis said.

The bill advanced to the rules committee. Some senators expressed concerns the measure could discourage the purchase of low- or zero-emission vehicles while raising very little revenue for the state.

Rusty Jacobs is WUNC's Voting and Election Integrity Reporter.
More Stories