EVs and plug-in hybrids could be hit by new fees from the US government. Under a new proposal, EV owners would have to pay $130 annually. Fee would then increase $5 every two years, before maxing out at $150. Common ground is anything but common in Washington DC, but two key members of the United States House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure have unveiled a new bipartisan, surface transportation reauthorization bill. It would last five years and see the country invest in America’s “roads, bridges, transit, rail transportation, and highway and motor carrier safety programs.” The bill was unveiled by Sam Graves (R-MO) and Rick Larsen (D-WA), and is known as the BUILD (Building Unrivaled Infrastructure and Long-term Development) America 250 Act. The proposed piece of legislation is over 1,000 pages long and “focuses on proven surface transportation infrastructure programs.” It also promises the “largest ever investment in America’s bridges” as well as the “first-ever autonomous commercial motor vehicle framework.” More: Congress Wants EV Owners To Pay New Fees As Gas Taxes Stay Frozen While there’s a ton of things in the proposal, it calls on the Federal Highway Administration to impose new fees on eco-friendly vehicles. Electric vehicles would be charged $130 annually, while plug-in hybrids would get hit with a $35 tax. The fees would be collected by states and then passed onto the federal government. Starting in 2029, the fees would increase by $5 every two years. However, they would be capped at $150 for EVs and $50 for plug-in hybrids. States can also keep up to 1% of the money collected for “administrative expenses.” The new fees aim to ensure all motorists pay for repairs and upkeep as the government currently relies on a federal gas tax, which has been frozen for over three decades. It’s 18.4 cents per gallon of gasoline and 24.4 cents per gallon of diesel. While that’s just one very small section of the BUILD America 250 Act, there are other interesting sections. As Reuters pointed out, one would require human safety drivers on autonomous school buses. It’s buried on page 664 and says “The safety standard established under subsection (a)(1) shall require a human operator to be located within the vehicle during the operation of any ADS-equipped commercial motor vehicle transporting” hazardous materials or “primarily minors.” The latter, obviously, includes school buses.
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