Congress may require owners of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid cars to pay an annual fee to cover their share of the cost to repair roads, which could further depress sales of those models.
Last year, Congress eliminated subsidies worth up to $7,500 for electric vehicle purchases and leases, causing sales to slump. A bipartisan bill introduced this week would go further, imposing a fee of $130 for electric vehicles and $35 for plug-in hybrids, which can travel short distances on battery power but also have combustion engines.
Sponsors of the bill said the federal fee — on top of any existing state fee — would make sure that electric vehicle owners contributed to road maintenance, which is partly funded by the federal gasoline and diesel taxes.
It “ensures that electric vehicle owners begin paying their fair share for the use of our roads,” Representative Sam Graves, a Missouri Republican who is chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said in a statement.
Representative Rick Larsen of Washington, the ranking Democrat on the committee, said in a statement that he had “worked to make sure that this new fee on E.V.s is fair and not punitive.”
“A commitment to bipartisan lawmaking means finding compromise,” he added.
But auto industry and environmental groups said the fee was substantially higher than the average fuel taxes paid by owners of gasoline cars. All electric vehicle owners would pay the same flat rate, whereas owners of vehicles that run on gasoline or diesel pay more if they drive more.
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