The state of Arizona could soon impose registration fees on owners of any vehicle unable to operate by way of gasoline or diesel, reports the Arizona Daily Star.
Plans for the $135 annual registration fee were approved by the House Committee on Transportation and Technology. The category of vehicles included in the fee would be made up largely of plug-in electrics, of which there are currently 80,613 in Arizona, according to the state Department of Transportation.
The $135 would go towards the state’s funds for maintaining and constructing roads. If the fee is implemented, it’s estimated to bring in a total of almost $11 million annually. Drivers of gasoline vehicles currently pay into that fund through a tax on gasoline of 18 cents a gallon. The EV registration fees aim to compensate for that loss in revenue.
Though the bill proposing EV registration fees, HB 2866, passed the committee with a 5-4 vote, it must still gain a two-thirds vote from both the House and Senate.
