New Wisconsin bill would charge electric car owners on top of registration fee

Hybrid owners would also see a surcharge. 

A new proposal in Madison focuses on getting electric car owners to pony up a little for roads in the state.

The new bill would add $125 to the state’s current registration fee for electric vehicles.

It’s something that’s been considered by state lawmakers in the past and an idea that’s probably overdue, says Chris Schneider, president of Honda Motorwerks in La Crosse, which specializes in sales of electric cars.

“Those are automobiles that should be paying road taxes,” Schneider said. “Most of the groups that I’m familiar with are interested in making a contribution in that area.”

The fee, however, is also not entirely fair because it’s based on fuel equivalencies.

“The person who’s a low-mileage driver would be paying more than they should and a high-mileage driver would be paying less than they should,” Schneider said. “It’s not a perfect system but I think that, when we’re talking about equivalency, it’s very difficult to develop a system that’s going to be equitable for everyone.”

The same proposal calls for a $30 surcharge on hybrid vehicles. Both would be added to the state’s current $75 registration fee.