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Beginning this month, approximately 1600 all-electric vehicles registered in North Carolina and newly-registered all-electrics are required to pay a $100 annual fee in addition to other required registration fees. Registration renewals due during January are expected to affect the first 146 vehicles in this group.

All-electric vehicles are being billed because they do not otherwise pay taxes for road use and maintenance. Vehicles fueled by gasoline pay for road upkeep through gas taxes metered at each fill-up.

According to legislation passed by the N.C. General Assembly in July, owners of “a plug-in electric vehicle that is not a low-speed vehicle and that does not rely on a nonelectric source of power” are required to pay the new fee when they are titled and registered or renewing their registration..

Currently, all-electric vehicles are represented by a handful of manufacturers. They are noted by an “E” fuel type listing on the vehicle’s title application. Hybrid vehicles that use a combination of gasoline and electricity are not covered under this requirement.