Ownership fees for electric vehicles in Kentucky will see a 5 percent increase as the new year begins.
The Kentucky Finance and Administration Cabinet says beginning January 1 legislation that increases the electric vehicle ownership fee and separate legislation that eliminates the ownership fee for hybrid vehicles went into effect. The new annual ownership fees will be $126 for electric vehicles, $126 for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, $63 for electric motorcycles, and $0 for hybrid vehicles. The fees will be included on owners’ vehicle renewal reminder notices and integrated with the Kentucky Automated Vehicle Information System.
The KFAC says the Kentucky General Assembly approved the ownership fees “to ensure road construction and maintenance fees were shared fairly between Kentucky’s electric-vehicle and gas-vehicle drivers.” The fees are directed into the state’s Road Fund which pays for road construction, maintenance, engineering, planning and research, and administrative functions. The fees are meant to make up for the taxes on gasoline that go into the Road Fund that electric vehicle drivers do not pay.
The KFAC says there are more than 132,000 registered hybrid vehicles, just under 20,000 electric vehicles, more than 9,000 plug-in hybrid vehicles, and about 200 electric motorcycles currently registered in the state.
More information on Kentucky’s electric vehicle infrastructure can be found at kyevcharging.com.
