LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — With electric vehicle owners not paying the state gas tax, a coalition is calling on state lawmakers to start a pilot program forcing EV owners to contribute more to the state’s road fund.
The Coalition on Electric Vehicles and Transportation Revenue wants EV owners to pay up, otherwise, Michigan will continue to lose road repair dollars.
“If you look at the EV driver, they pay just 70-80%,” said Patrick L. Anderson with Anderson Economic Group.
State lawmakers have already imposed a higher registration fee on EVs, but the coalition wants that to be increased.
The coalition additionally wants a pilot program that would require EV owners to pay a fee based on the miles they drive, the so-called vehicle miles traveled fee.
So when vehicles are registered with the state, motorists would be required to report the number of miles driven in the last year.
The coalition is also pushing the exploration of toll roads, which has been talked about for years but has never been done.
The coalition argued the state is losing $50 million a year in lost gas tax revenue and as more EVs are sold, the number could hit $95 million.
But what kind of impact would that have on Michigan roads?
“[Around] 840 miles of road will not be able to be resurfaced. That is a distance from Monroe to Tahquamenon Falls and back again,” said Denis Donahue, the CEO of the County Roads Association of Michigan.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer has previously vocalized her support for a fee for EV drivers.
So far, the coalition does not have any of its suggestions on the legislative agenda.
