The debate over electric vehicles continues in Washington as the US House of Representatives is expected to begin reviewing a new bill impacting electric vehicle owners. This marks the latest legislative effort to compel electric vehicle drivers to contribute to road repair costs.
In 2025, House Republicans proposed a new annual fee of 250 USD for electric vehicles and 100 USD for hybrid vehicles. However, this proposal was not included in a comprehensive tax and spending bill. The current 5-year highway transportation law is set to expire on 30/9.
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Electric vehicle models at an Ionity charging station in the US. *Photo: Ionity*
"We want to collect money from electric vehicles," stated Representative Sam Graves, a Republican, at a US Chamber of Commerce infrastructure event. He added that he expects the 5-year bill to include 500-550 billion USD in funding for highways and bridges.
Most revenue for federally funded road repairs is generated through gasoline taxes, a cost electric vehicles do not incur. The gasoline tax system is structured to ensure that drivers who purchase more fuel and use roads more frequently indirectly contribute more to maintenance costs. Electric vehicles, however, do not use gasoline, making them exempt from taxes that fund road repairs. Consequently, zero-emission vehicles, such as the Ford Mustang Mach-E, use public roads without contributing to this specific funding mechanism.
Several states already implement fees on electric vehicles to help fund road repairs. For the past three decades, the US Congress has refrained from increasing fuel taxes to address escalating road maintenance expenses. In 2/2025, some Republican senators also proposed a 1,000 USD tax on electric vehicles to cover these costs.
In 2025, the Electrification Coalition, an electric vehicle advocacy group, contended that a 250 USD fee for electric vehicles would be unfair. They noted that an average gasoline-powered car pays only 88 USD annually in federal gasoline taxes.
Since 2008, over 275 billion USD – including 118 billion USD from the 2021 infrastructure law – has been allocated from general funds to cover road repair costs.
The administration of President Donald Trump previously took steps to curb electric vehicle sales, including repealing the 7,500 USD electric vehicle tax credit in 2025.
With congressional elections approaching in November, some lawmakers believe it will be challenging to reach a funding agreement before 30/9.
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