Electric vehicle owners in Maine could soon be required to pay a new yearly surtax, under a proposal before the Legislature.
The measure, sponsored by Democratic Rep. Stanley Zeigler of Montville, would add a $72 yearly surcharge that EV owners would pay when registering their vehicle. Zeigler says those funds would go towards maintaining Maine's roads, and help to offset lost gas tax revenue.
"In order to have the ever growing number of vehicles, such as mine, to pay their fare share for maintaining our roads and highways," Zeigler says.
The state estimates that the average Maine driver spends about $164 per year on state fuel taxes, and another $100 in federal gas taxes.
The Natural Resources Council of Maine says that the bill could slow down EV adoption in Maine, and urges the state to look at other options for increasing transportation funding.
The Maine Department of Transportation didn't support or oppose the bill. But DOT Deputy Commissioner Nina Fisher says that 31 states have already passed special registration fees for electric vehicles. And she noted that many groups and states are looking at other ways of bringing in more revenue for roads, including fees based on the total number of miles traveled per year.
"We are doing studies with that Eastern States Transportation Coalition on mileage-based user fees, and what that looks like in the Northeast corridor," Fisher says.
