A bipartisan group of US lawmakers has tabled a plan to charge electric vehicle owners an annual federal registration fee of US$130 (RM516) to help pay for road repairs.
The proposal forms part of the BUILD America 250 Act, a five-year highway reauthorisation bill worth about US$580 billion (RM2.30 trillion). It is being prepared by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, led by Republican chairman Sam Graves and senior Democrat Rick Larsen.
US road maintenance is partly funded through federal fuel taxes collected from petrol and diesel sales.
EV owners avoid much of that system because they do not buy fuel, even though their vehicles still use the same highways and public roads.
Plug-in hybrid owners would face a smaller annual fee of US$35 (RM139). From 2029, the charges would rise by US$5 (RM20) every two years, eventually reaching US$150 (RM596) for EVs and US$50 (RM199) for plug-in hybrids.
Backers said the move would bring more money into the federal Highway Trust Fund without raising fuel taxes. Critics argued it could add another cost to EV ownership and weaken Washington’s push towards electrification.
The proposal is still far from becoming law. It would need approval from both the House and Senate before taking effect.
