Washoe County voters are being asked whether owners of electric vehicles should pay an annual fee to help cover road costs that fuel taxes no longer fully support. Some EV drivers say they are willing to pay their share, but they question whether a flat fee is the fairest way to do it, according to reporting by KUNR Public Radio.
The Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) asked for the question to be placed on the ballot, and county commissioners voted to send it to voters. Approval would not change anything right away. Instead, the RTC would bring the proposal to the state Legislature next year, during the 2027 session, where it could be amended or expanded to apply statewide.
Paul Nelson, the RTC's government affairs manager, said the agency will likely propose $250 a year for electric vehicles and about $125 for hybrids. That is a little over half of what the average gasoline vehicle in Washoe County pays annually in fuel taxes, which Nelson estimated at $480. The county has Nevada's highest gas tax, with drivers paying about $1.08 per gallon, roughly 58 cents of which goes to the county and the rest to state and federal governments. State EV registration fees across the country range from $50 to $270, so the proposed amount would be among the highest.
The RTC says it faces a projected $1.4 billion shortfall over the next decade because of inflation, higher construction costs, aging infrastructure and reduced fuel consumption, partly linked to electric and more efficient vehicles. Electric and hybrid vehicles make up nearly 6% of registered vehicles in the county. Nelson said the county had about 1,500 EVs and 6,000 hybrids in 2020, and those figures grew to 10,500 and 16,000 five years later. He said about $15.5 million in fuel tax revenue has been lost over that period.
A report by the Guinn Center found that an annual fee would be the quickest and cheapest option to put in place, Nelson said. Taxing public charging stations would raise little because many owners charge at home, and a per-mile charge would require costly technology that could take years to develop. Neither the RTC nor the Guinn Center offered a cost estimate. Nelson said the long-term goal is to charge all vehicles by miles driven.
Some EV owners favor that approach now. Rob Delia, a retired Sparks resident who drives a Chevrolet Bolt, called a flat fee an unrefined solution and asked why it is not based on distance. Cindy Ryan, who drives a Tesla, said reading the odometer at registration renewal would be fairer, and called the flat fee "clearly unfair" for retirees who drive few miles. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 42 states require special EV registration fees, though states such as Utah let drivers pay by miles traveled.
Others worry about the climate and adoption effects. Ken Andrews of south Reno, who owns a Tesla and an electric Subaru, said government should offer incentives to EV drivers instead. The Environmental Protection Agency says EVs produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions over their lifetimes than gasoline vehicles, even accounting for manufacturing, charging and use. Bob Alessandrelli, who drives a Ford Mustang Mach-E, plans to vote yes. "I use the roads. I should contribute to their upkeep," he said.
Supporters also argue that EVs are heavier and cause more road damage. The report notes that while EVs often weigh hundreds of pounds more than comparable gasoline cars because of their batteries, freight trucks and buses cause far greater wear.
The political outlook is uncertain. Several Democratic lawmakers and Gov. Joe Lombardo's office declined to comment before the vote. Lombardo proposed suspending the gas tax for a year in 2023, but that did not advance. Nelson suggested the governor might be more likely to sign such a measure in a second term, since it is essentially a tax and he promised not to raise taxes.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Aaron Ford told a KUNR forum this month that he is not opposed to the idea and that EVs "should contribute" to road upkeep, though he did not commit to a specific model. Washoe County Commissioner Clara Andriola, a Republican who voted in June to put the question on the ballot, did not respond to KUNR's request for comment. She has said she owns an EV and does not pay that tax, and that her vehicle weighs more than most of similar size.
