Connecticut EV Fees: Green Roads vs Paved Paths

0:00It's March 31st. Hartford News Today starts now. AI-powered and ready. I'm Cory with the story. Connecticut lawmakers got until April 1st to push a bill that hikes registration fees for electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids. The extra cash would feed the state's special transportation fund which handles road and bridge fixes. Right now, all cars pay $120 every three years but the plan nearly triples it to $345 for full EVs. And almost doubles it to $233 for hybrids. That fund mostly runs on gas taxes, which EV drivers skip entirely. Without changes, projections say it'll hit big deficits and can't cover debts by 2030. Lawmakers see this fee jump as a quick fix to keep things rolling while gas cars still for most of the bill. EV folks are split on it. Barry Cresche from the EV Club of Connecticut says it's not fair. EVs and hybrids are just 3% of the state's rides and the hike could slow.

1:01Adoption when we need to cut emissions. He pushes tolls instead. But owner Keith Bishop backs it, saying EV drivers should chip in for road upkeep even if it's less than gas taxes and wants mileage-based fees. Long term. Hearings wrapped March 27th and the clocks ticking toward that April 1st deadline. Groups on both sides keep making their case as the bill hangs in the balance. Push shows the real tension between grinning our roads and keeping them paved. Stay tuned as Connecticut figures it out.