Republicans want to eliminate what they call President Biden’s electric vehicle mandate. However, some lawmakers want to not only end tax credits for EVs but also implement new taxes for them to help pay for road repairs.Senator Deb Fischer reintroduced the Fair Sharing of Highways and Roads for Electric Vehicles Act on Wednesday, which would implement a $1,000 tax for new EV purchases. The goal of the tax is to ensure that people who shift away from gasoline-powered cars to battery-powered vehicles contribute to the federal Highway Trust Fund to pay for road repairs. Owners of gasoline-powered vehicles pay into the fund through the gas tax. Some states charge fees for EV charging to pay for road repairs. However, there is not a similar federal tax for EV owners.In a statement about the bill, Ms. Fischer said, “EVs can weigh up to three times as much as gas-powered cars, creating more wear and tear on our roads and bridges. It’s only fair that they pay into the Highway Trust Fund just like other cars do. The Fair SHARE Act will require EVs to pay their fair share for the upkeep of America’s infrastructure.”Senator Cynthia Lummis, one of the lawmakers co-sponsoring the bill, said EVs are “currently exempt from paying into the Highway Trust Fund because the Biden administration wanted to score points with its radical climate change base.”“The days of liberal elites in their expensive EVs getting a free pass are over; they are contributing to wear and tear on our roads, and they should be forced to pay their fair share in repairs just like the rest of us,” she said. A summary of the bill notes that the federal gas tax is 18.3 cents for gas and 24.3 cents for diesel. Lawmakers estimate that the one-time $1,000 tax for EVs is equivalent to the amount Americans would pay in gas taxes over 10 years of driving a gas-powered vehicle. While gas-powered vehicle owners are paying the gas tax, automobile industry groups note that EVs tend to weigh significantly more than gas-powered vehicles, and thus contribute to more wear and tear on the roads. A summary of Ms. Fischer’s legislation notes that Ford’s electric F-150 Lightning weighs more than 6,000 pounds, while the combustion engine version weighs around 3,000. Meanwhile, the Nissan Leaf weighs 3,440 pounds, 1,000 pounds more than the similar-sized, gas-powered Nissan Versa. Researchers at the University of Edinburgh calculated in 2022 that the additional weight of EVs could result in between 20 and 40 percent more road wear. However, they said most of that extra wear comes from heavier vehicles like buses. The Institute for Energy Research notes EV advocates argue that electric passenger vehicles should be exempt from fees — to help encourage their adoption — and that heavy-duty EVs should have larger taxes.While there is a lack of an equivalent tax for EV owners, Congressman Dusty Johnson says the Highway Trust Fund, which contributes 90 percent of highway aid to states, is “on the road to insolvency.”Since 2008, Congress has appropriated $275 billion to the fund to help pay for road repairs.
