Our roads, highways and bridges are maintained using revenue from each state’s gas tax, New Hampshire being no different. The Dept. of Transportation (DOT) put out a report in 2020 which predicted that form of revenue will begin to shrink as more and more people utilize environmentally friendly electric vehicles and/or hybrids.
In the recent past the NH Legislature has attempted to establish a means of collecting fees from the owners of these vehicles in order to continue the task of maintaining our roads. Those attempts failed.
On February, 9, SB 191-FN was introduced from the Ways and Means Committee as an Act “relative to road toll registration surcharges for electric vehicle”. Sponsored by Sen. David Watters (D), this bill would impose a flat fee of $100 to the owners of electric and hybrid vehicles each year when registration is due.
On Monday, May 15, Sen. Dan Innis (R) brought forth an amendment to make two changes to the proposed bill. Because a hybrid is exactly that, a vehicle which runs on both electricity and/or gasoline, owners of those vehicles should be charged only $50 at registration time. The second change left out wording permitting the DOT the use of up to 20% of the raised funding to construct more electric vehicle charging stations.
Innis’ amendment did include the following: “Electric vehicles contribute to the reduction of air pollution in New Hampshire and serve an important role in transitioning the transportation sector to clean energy.”
On May 15, the Senate Finance Committee approved a budget amendment that would require owners of electric and hybrid vehicles to pay an extra fee when they register those vehicles. The goal is to get back that revenue in the highway fund from drivers who now have little or no use for gasoline.
The Senate Finance Committee is still working on changes to the budget passed by the House which will then go to the Senate for a vote. Should the electric and hybrid vehicle registration fee end up in the final budget and is signed by Gov. Sununu later this summer, NH will join over 30 other states that currently have additional registration fees for EVs and/or hybrids.
Here are several comparative (except Texas) state-by-state fees:
Colorado: $50 annual fee for full-electric and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) vehicles.
Illinois: $100 annual fee for EVs beginning July 1, 2019.
Indiana: $150 annual fee for EVs; $50 for hybrids and PHEVs.
Minnesota: $75 annual fee on EVs.
Missouri: $75 annual fee on EVs, and $37.50 on PHEVs.
Nebraska: $75 annual fee on alternative-fuel vehicles, including EVs.
North Carolina: $130 on plug-in vehicles, including EVs.
Oregon: $110 annual fee on PHEVs
South Carolina: $120 biennial fee for EVs; $60 biennial fee for hybrids.
Texas: $400 to register their “clean vehicles” and $200 every time they renew their registrations.
Tennessee: $100 annual fee for EVs.
Virginia: $64 annual license for EVs.
Washington: $150 annual fee for EVs.
Wisconsin: $100 annual fee for EVs.