Electric vehicle drivers in the state of Michigan are chagrined, MLive reports, as changes to a "road-funding plan" would disproportionately affect EVs and plug-in hybrids.
What's happening?
Michigan has long been among the states that charge drivers extra fees for registering an EV.
As InsideEVs explained, such states fund road improvements through gasoline taxes. EVs and plug-in hybrids don't require gas or use considerably less fuel than gas-powered cars, and states have sought to offset those losses with higher registration fees.
Under the proposed registration fee structure, EV drivers can expect to pay an additional $100 each year to register their cars, a 63% increase, whereas hybrid drivers would be charged $50 more.
Sophia Schuster, an energy policy expert at the Michigan Energy Innovation Business Council, which advocates for advanced energy policy, including electrification, told MLive that EV drivers would be a "casualty" of a "rushed road funding deal," one that singled them out unfairly and sent the wrong message to automakers.
"By raising EV fees to the highest in the country, the state is discouraging adoption and signaling to automakers that Michigan is not serious about leading in transportation electrification," Schuster said.
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Why do Michigan's higher EV registration fees matter so much?
Schuster identified one of the most undesirable outcomes of the plan's details: EV adoption could falter under the weight of unequally levied fees.
A correction to MLive's article indicated that roughly 110,000 EVs and PHEVs are registered across the state.
In late July, Michigan Advance cited rapid EV adoption as a factor in declining gas tax revenues statewide. Conversely, spending less on gas or not requiring it at all is one of the primary reasons drivers make the switch to EVs, reducing pollution en masse.
Regressive policies such as Michigan's higher registration fee proposal undermine those benefits. When rules affect a broad swath of drivers and tacitly discourage EV adoption, they can erase progress in reducing emissions at scale on an already overheating planet.
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Definitely 👍 On Reddit's r/Michigan, users — several of whom identified themselves as EV drivers — were frustrated by the news, and one person explained that the fees already exceed gas taxes.
"The current fee is more than the average driver in the state pays in gas taxes. You have to drive a lot before you break even," they observed.
Another user was skeptical that gasoline tax revenues were the true cause of the fee hike plan, suspecting "gas and oil lobby bidding."
"I'm not sure EV adoption is at a point where it's threatening funding raised by taxes," they said.
What's being done about it?
MLive also reported that no hearing date for the proposal has been set.
If approved, the increase would go into effect Jan. 1.
In a Facebook group, one EV driver recommended contacting lawmakers to oppose the increase.
"I've contacted my representative, senator, and the governor. … I'm all about paying my fair share, but I'm already more than meeting that," they wrote.
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