Illinois May Start Charging $1,000/Year To Own An Electric Vehicle

The Chicago Tribune has reported that electric vehicle owners in Illinois may soon have a pricey hike in their registration fees. A proposed hike in Illinois’ annual registration fee for electric vehicles, from $17.50 to $1,000, is being called unfair by current EV owners.

The hike is proposed in hopes of raising money to make overdue road improvements across Illinois. The legislation would also more than double the state’s gas tax to 44 cents a gallon and raise the registration fee for standard vehicles to $148 from $98.

Aside from all that, there would be a 60-fold increase in the electric vehicle registration fee. Hybrids and plug-in electric hybrids, both which use gas to supplement electric power, are not included in the $1,000 fee proposal. It’s reported that the justification for the dramatic hike is that electric vehicles don’t provide the state with any gas tax revenue.

The legislation was introduced by Democratic Sen. Martin Sandoval and would raise about $2.4 billion in annual transportation funding.