Michigan Gov. Whitmer backs fee for electric vehicles to fund road repairs

Could an EV fee be coming to Michigan to help fix roads?

Drivers in Michigan pay a gas tax unless they have an electric vehicle. While EV drivers save hundreds of dollars not paying this tax, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said she supports potentially adding an EV fee to help pay for road repairs.

LANSING, Mich. (FOX 2) - Electric vehicle owners are paying a higher Michigan registration fee, averaging around $140, but they save hundreds of dollars by not having to pay the gas tax. However, they could face similar fees in the future.

The road-building industry and others are asking Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the new state legislation to find a new way to tax EVs.

About a dozen states are looking at imposing a user fee based on the number of miles driven -- the so-called VMT or vehicle miles traveled plan. Whitmer is not ready to endorse this, but she is considering other options.

"I'm not going to endorse something that I haven't had the opportunity to study and work with the legislature to see if we can get it over the finish line," she said.

While she isn't ready to back the mileage fee, she said she supports a fee for EVs.

"I think it is important for us to have a sustainable revenue source because our roads and bridges have been underfunded for decades," Whitmer said.

Some have argued if the state imposes another user fee on the EV's, some consumers may not buy them.

"Most environmentalists that I talk to are very pragmatic people, and they understand if you're going to encourage people to transition to EV, we have to build up the infrastructure to support it," Whitmer said.

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