State officials recently announced that an alternative fuel vehicle fee will be enacted Oct. 1. It will charge $60 annually to those who own non-plug-in and plug-in electric vehicles, fully electric vehicles and vehicles that use fuels like hydrogen, natural gas and propane. According to the Division of Motor Vehicles, because these cars and trucks use little or no gas, their owners contribute less to the motor fuel tax. So, the new fee will ensure that all drivers pay into the cost of road maintenance, regardless of their vehicle’s fuel type. Is this fair to Delawareans who own alternative fuel vehicles?
- Yes! It is fair, as it only seeks to ensure that all who use public roads share in the cost of the upkeep of those roads. Owning a vehicle that is propelled by a different source should not exempt one from his or her basic obligation to share in the upkeep of the roads they drive on. — Dennis Kirkwood
- Is it fair? Because every time I put gas in my hybrid (not an electric vehicle or a plug-in), it costs me in the area of $60 to fill said tank! Therefore, I am paying the fuel tax on a regular basis, and now, I am getting charged an additional fee for the same car. I am all for the owners of electric vehicles or even plug-in hybrids (which can run for miles on electricity) having to pay their fair share. But owners of regular hybrids? That’s like getting taxed twice for the same thing. — Michael James
- Well, electric cars use the same roads as gas-powered cars do. With wear and tear on the roads, potholes, sand and salt in the winter, and painting the stripes, everyone needs to pay their fair share. Gas or electric makes no difference. — Vincent Deskiewicz Sr.
- Weren’t they going to mandate electric vehicles not too long ago? I wonder what the fees would have been had the mandates gone through. — Carrie Clements
- Yes, it is fair. Electric vehicles use the roads but pay no share to repair them. EVs are heavier than gas-operated vehicles but pay no share to repair streets. These owners should help pay to repair the roads that they use. — Sandy Johnson
- The state will do everything that it can to get money from the citizens of Delaware. — Howard Brobst
- I am torn. I understand why: Gas tax revenues have probably gone down. Here is my biggest beef: I have a 2025 Toyota Highlander Hybrid. I will be paying $60 extra a year. I get 35 miles per gallon. That isn’t any different than an economical sedan. I am basically paying the same gas tax as owners of economical vehicles do with every fill-up, and they are not paying any additional tax. — Michele Callaghan Lawrence
- As a former Division of Motor Vehicles worker, I can tell you that this has been in the planning stages for years. My biggest issue is how DMV management has determined the cost of these “new ideas.” Was this determined in the legislature or did the Department of Transportation do this? If the latter, I’m getting tired of these agencies making laws and regulations without legislative approval. Bureaucrats aren’t elected to put these “rules” on us. I can tell you now that “pay per mile” is on the table. That little old $60 a year isn’t going to stand, especially when they find out that it won’t be enough. — Rick Kerchevall
- My taxes pay for those buyer incentives, charging stations and some free charging. You use the road just as combustion vehicles do, so pay your share, too. — Tiffany Isabella Demi
- No, it’s not fair. The fuel tax is based on consumption levels. The electric vehicle fees are flat fees. I’m tempted to sue. I hope someone does. It should be based on mileage. — Kristin Bricker
- The state gave rebates to people who purchased electric vehicles, and now, it is charging a fee. This seems like a great example of government inefficiency. They gave out $1,000 rebates that people will now repay over time through this fee. — Emily Green
- Our state government is schizophrenic. First, it gives away up to $2,500 of our tax money to people who purchase electric vehicles, to promote a “greener” planet; then, it demands that those same people pay an additional tax to compensate for the loss of gas tax revenue. But, when giving out the rebates, non-plug-in hybrids were excluded because they do not use an alternative fuel. Now, the state says they should be included in the tax because they use less gas. So, it seems obvious that the correct solution to highway funding — a solution that also promotes cleaner vehicles — is to add the necessary tax to gasoline purchases, something I’m sure the cowards in Dover want to avoid. (And I would be as upset as everyone else in Delaware if they raise it more than a penny or two.) — Bob Sorensen
- If a use tax is to be charged, all users should be charged: pedestrians, bikers, baby buggies, the owners of cats and other pets, etc. You use it, you pay! — Philip Eatough
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