Two Kentucky state laws will go into effect on Jan.1 and will increase fees for registering electric vehicles (EV) and gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles and charging at public stations.
Annual ownership fees will be $60 for electric motorcycles, $60 for hybrids and $120 for electric vehicles.
A dealer tax of 3 cents per kilowatt hour of electricity for will be added at EV charging stations. The tax is similar to the state’s Motor Fuels Tax.
Revenue will go into the Road Fund, which pays for road construction, maintenance, engineering, planning and research, and administrative functions.
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) will contact residents who are subject to the registering fee. Fees can be paid online or when renewing vehicle registration at a
county clerk’s office.
The fees are designed to put EV and hybrid owners on par with other drivers when paying for the construction and maintenance of the state’s transportation infrastructure.
“Sharing the roads also means sharing the cost to maintain them,” KYTC State Highway Engineer James Ballinger said. “With the rise in hybrid and EV owners in recent years, the ownership fee helps ensure their contributions to the Road Fund match those of the majority of Kentucky drivers who drive a gas or diesel-powered vehicle and pay associated taxes.”