Skip to main content

State measures aimed at charging hybrid and EV owners fees for road repairs gain momentum

Toyota PriusIt sounds like the rumbling that hybrid and electric vehicles owners need to pay gas taxes to help pay for state road maintenance is spreading.   

Following a Digital Trends report last week that lawmakers in North Carolina are reviewing measures that would require alternative vehicle owners to pay an annual fee for road repair, we’ve learned that Arizona is considering similar legislation.

Recommended Videos

According to an Automotive News report, Arizona Senator Steve Farley, a Democrat from Tucson, has also written a bill to tax EVs to help pay for the state’s road repair and maintenance.

FarleyShow1“The intent is that people who use the roads pay for them,” said Farley, as quoted by the industry news source. “Just because we have somebody who is getting out of doing it because they have an alternative form of fuel, that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t pay for the roads.”

According to Automotive News, state and local gas-tax revenue has declined every year since 2004, falling 7 percent to $37.9 billion in 2010, based on inflation-adjusted data pulled from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a nonpartisan Washington-based research group.

Fueling the national debate over taxing alternative powertrain vehicles for road repair, is an increase in U.S. sales of electric and hybrid cars over the last ten years, as indicated by Automotive News.

Last year, Toyota reportedly sold 236,659 Prius hybrids — a 73 percent gain over 2011 sales, according to the Automotive News Data Center. General Motors sold 23,461 Chevy Volt hybrids, more than double the number sold in 2011. Nissan sold 9,819 all-electric Leafs in 2012, about the same as the year before.

The data also showed that electric, hybrid and plug-in hybrid auto sales jumped almost 60 percent in 2012 from the preceding year, representing 3.3 percent of the 14.4 million cars sold.

Senator Farley’s measure in Arizona would include taxing electric cars 1 cent per mile driven on the state’s highways, amounting to about $120 annually per car, according to the AN report.

States considering similar measures include New Jersey and Indiana.

Washington state and Virginia implemented measures earlier this year to charge hybrid and electric vehicle owners an annual fee, at a cost of $100 and $64 respectively.

Already approved by the state, North Carolina’s plan to tack on an annual fee that electric vehicles owners pay $100 a year and hybrid drivers $50 a year is currently before the state House.

Marcus Amick
Former Contributor
Marcus Amick has been writing about the world of cars for more than ten years and has covered everything from new automobiles…
Waymo recalled 1,200 robotaxis following collisions with road barriers
Waymo Jaguar I-Pace

Waymo’s autonomous-car technology has made great advances over the years to the point where it’s now allowed to offer paid robotaxi rides in select locations in the U.S.

But the development of the technology is ongoing, and the robotaxi rides continue to gather valuable data for Waymo engineers to pore over as they further refine the driverless system to make it as reliable and efficient as possible. Which is why glitches will sometimes occur.

Read more
Apple CarPlay Ultra looks stunning in Aston Martin supercar debut
Apple CarPlay Ultra

Apple CarPlay Ultra is the next generation of the Cupertino, California-based firm's smartphone projection system for your car, and it's available in new vehicles in the US and Canada.

When we say "new cars", your options are very much limited to one brand... Aston Martin. So you'll need deep pockets if you want to experience CarPlay Ultra for yourself.

Read more
Archer’s flying taxis head to LA for the 2028 Olympics
archer air taxi la28 inglewood aerial a final

Remember the buzz about flying taxis zipping through Paris for the 2024 Olympics? That sci-fi fantasy never got off the ground —Germany’s Volocopter dream was denied certification, leaving fans staring at the same old ground traffic. But now, the skies are opening again for a second shot at glory—this time over Los Angeles.
Archer Aviation, the California-based electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) company, has been named the exclusive air taxi provider for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Archer’s Midnight aircraft, a piloted electric air taxi designed to carry four passengers, will be whisking around VIPs, fans, and stakeholders between venues and key locations like LAX, Hollywood, Santa Monica, and even Orange County. Think 10-20 minute flights that skip the infamous LA gridlock and land you right where the action is—on the roof, basically.
“We want to transform the way people get around Los Angeles and leave a legacy that shapes the future of transportation in America. There’s no better time to do that than during the LA28 Games,” said Adam Goldstein, CEO and founder of Archer Aviation.
And Midnight isn’t just a pretty rotor. It’s a whisper-quiet, emission-light aircraft with 12 rotors and a redundant, airline-level safety design.
What’s more, Archer and LA28 are working together to electrify vertiport hubs around the city—think futuristic sky stations—to serve not only Games-time needs but also to plant seeds for a post-Olympic air mobility network.
The air mobility market has been fast developing over the past few years, featuring the likes of Hyundai partnership with China’s XPeng HT Aero and Toyota's backing of Joby Aviation, a U.S. venture. Joby bought Uber Elevate in 2020, hoping to someday pair its air taxis with Uber’s ride-hailing app.
Archer, for its part, has been busy building a strategic partnership with United Airlines, which has already placed orders for the aircraft and is helping with logistics to integrate air taxis into airport-to-downtown travel. More than a demo for the cameras, the LA28 partnership will showcase urban air travel for real-world daily use, starting with one of the most high-profile events on Earth.
After raising false hopes in Paris, the air taxi dream is aiming for liftoff in LA—and this time, it might just stick the landing.

Read more