Greg Abbott Signs Law Making EV Owners Pay for Their Gas-Free Cars

[douglas9]

Driving an electric vehicle in Texas is soon to become more expensive. Governor Greg Abbott signed a law (SB 505) on May 13 instituting new fees for registering and owning EVs in the state. Under the bill, electric car owners will have to pay $400 upon registering their vehicle. Then, every subsequent year, EV drivers will have to shell out an additional $200. Both of those fees are on top of the cost of the standard annual registration renewal fees, which are $50.75 each year for most passenger cars and trucks.

The law exempts mopeds, motorcycles, and other non-car EVs, and goes into effect starting on September 1, 2023.

At least 32 states currently have special electric vehicle registration fees, according to data from the National Conference of State Legislatures. These range from $50 in places like Colorado, Hawaii, and South Dakota to $274 (starting in 2028) in a recently passed piece of Tennessee legislation. Note: Tennessee lawmakers had originally proposed a $300 fee, but lowered it in response to pushback.

Like many other states that have instituted EV fees, the reasoning behind the Lone Star State’s new law is that electric car drivers don’t buy gas. Taxes at the fuel pump are the primary way that most states, Texas included, amass funds for road construction, maintenance, and other driving-related infrastructure.


https://gizmodo.com/greg-abbott-signs-texas-electric-vehicle-tax-1850455335

[tanyev]

1. This could get interesting.

I see Teslas all over the place on my daily drive to work and back. Based on the political bent of my area and how those Teslas are being driven, I assume most of them were purchased to support the cult of Elon and not because of any concerns about carbon emissions or their fellow man.

[pwb]

2. Maybe Abbott can pave some dirt roads with all that money?

.

[walkingman]

3. Right - so they have made it toll roads from every direction into Austin and

now are whining about EV owners not paying a gas tax? They talk trash about the Federal government and stick their hand out at every chance they get for Federal dollars. Typical RED State BS - this is gonna change sooner than these redneck assholes think.

[brush]

4. That seems excessive. They're going to have to cut those fees...

as EVs become more prevalent, not to mention the pressure that's going to come from EV manufacturers.

[jimfields33]

6. 250 a year isn't excessive.

We’re talking less than 20 bucks a month to drive. Less then most streaming services.

[brush]

7. Yeah, if you look at it that way. $400 intitially still seems high...

and then the toll roads they keep putting up hits all cars.

[TwilightZone]

9. "hits all cars"

No, it hits the vehicles that use them. That's the point of toll roads. The alternative is taxpayer-funded roads, which everyone pays for.

[TexasBushwhacker]

10. And way less than gas or the electricity to charge your car

The only thing is, Texas has one of the lowest gas taxes in the country - 20 cents per gallon. So a person driving a gas or diesel fueled vehicle would have to burn through 100 gallons of gas per month to pay the equivalent amount of gas tax. That's probably way more than your average commuter. In that sense, it seems punitive.

[DUar17]

13. HA! They never cut fees.

They never cut fees, only go up on them.

[TwilightZone]

8. I-35 isn't a toll road.

That's the primary north/south route, which is part of the problem. For many purposes, it's the only N/S through freeway which is why Austin traffic is often near the top of many "bad traffic" lists.

There's Toll 130/45, but it's more of a bypass that routes traffic east of the metro before rejoining I-35.

The alternative to toll roads is taxpayer-funded ones. I think it's preferable that the users of the roads pay for them, particularly with the massive amount of truck traffic Austin gets since it's on the main line from Canada to Mexico.

[walkingman]

12. Your right - I forgot about I-35 and actually parts of MOPAC. But many parts

of the country have outlawed "new" toll roads and seemed to have survived. When I think of toll roads I immediately think of Rick Perry (a real scumbag) and that makes me think of his offspring - Cornyn, Cruz, Paxton, Abbott.

How about using some of that rainy day BS or some of the even present multiple $B surpluses because they cow down to the fossil fuel industries on a daily basis?

In my opinion Texas is does not even resemble the State it used to be and is getting worse every day. I am embarrassed to be a Texan these days.

edited to add - Since we do not actually pay the real price of gas/diesel at the pump, maybe add in the real cost of healthcare, geopolitical, environmental, tax subsidies, and military costs and it might speed up the transition to alternative transportation from fossil fuels. Why should a private business be subsidized by taxpayers to do something that harms all of us?

[global1]

5. I Hate To Say It - But I Saw This Coming......

Such fees for EV's was predictable. Especially coming from those politicians that are in the back pocket of the oil industry.