The bipartisan bill would impose a new annual fee on electric vehicles

Congress may require owners of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids to pay an annual fee to cover their share of the cost of road repairs, which could further depress sales of those models.

Last year, Congress eliminated subsidies worth up to $7,500 for electric vehicle purchases and leases, causing sales to plummet. A bipartisan bill introduced this week would go even further, imposing a $130 fee on electric vehicles and $35 on plug-in hybrids, which can travel short distances on batteries but also have internal combustion engines.

The bill’s sponsors said the federal fee — on top of any existing state fee — would ensure that electric vehicle owners contribute to road maintenance that is funded in part by federal taxes on gasoline and diesel.

“It ensures that electric vehicle owners start paying their fair share to use our roads,” Representative Sam Graves, R-Missouri, who chairs the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said in a statement.

Rep. Rick Larsen of Washington, the ranking Democrat on the committee, said in a statement that he has “worked to make sure this new EV fee is fair and non-punitive.”

“Commitment to lawmaking on both sides means finding a compromise,” he added.

But the auto industry and environmental groups said the fee was substantially higher than the average fuel taxes paid by owners of gasoline cars. All EV owners would pay the same flat rate, while owners of petrol or diesel vehicles pay more if they drive more.

The fees make it harder for people to escape soaring fuel prices by buying an electric vehicle, said Albert Gore III, executive director of the Zero Emissions Transportation Association, an industry group that includes Tesla, Rivian and Lucid. His group estimated that most Americans pay between $73 and $89 a year in federal fuel taxes.

Sales of used electric vehicles, which cost about the same to buy as similar gasoline-powered vehicles, soared after the Iran war, raising fuel prices by 50 percent.

“This disproportionately penalizes people for making that decision,” Mr. Gore said. “I’m not saying the number should be zero, but the number should be fair.

The legislation would also eliminate the federal Carbon Reduction Program, which provides funding for projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, such as bike lanes, traffic control systems and charging stations for electric cars.

“This bill would impose a burdensome new fee on electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids while reducing investment in new EV chargers,” said Shruti Vaidyanathan, director of transportation, climate and energy advocacy at the Natural Resources Defense Council. “This bill largely ignores the need to build cleaner and more affordable transportation options.”

Bipartisan support for the fee improves its chances of passage in the House, but it’s unclear how the bill would fare in the Senate.

At least 41 states impose annual fees on electric vehicle owners, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Fees range from $50 in Colorado to $260 in New Jersey, with the New Jersey fee increasing to $290 in 2028.

The federal fees would go into effect next year and increase by $5 every two years, reaching $150 in 2035 for cars that run only on batteries and $50 in 2033 for plug-in hybrids. States would be responsible for collecting the money and face sanctions if they don’t comply.

The federal gasoline tax of 18.4 cents per gallon has not increased since 1993. President Trump proposed suspending it to give Americans relief from rising fuel prices. If Congress agrees to a recess lasting until next year and the House bill passes, owners of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids could be the only ones paying federal highway taxes.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

Revenue from gasoline and diesel taxes goes into the Highway Trust Fund, which has run deficits for years and requires infusions of money from the government’s general fund to stay solvent. Diesel tax is 24.4 cents per gallon.

“This has virtually nothing to do with the Highway Trust Fund,” Mr. Gore said. “This is a drop in the bucket.