Senate Transportation presses AOT on mileage-based fee for electric vehicles; seeks legislative sign-off and later start date

Senate Transportation convened April 9 to continue work on a bill that would authorize the Vermont Agency of Transportation (AOT) to develop a mileage‑based user fee for battery‑electric vehicles (BEVs). The agency presented a development timeline that assumed a January 2025 start and a July 2026 go‑live; several senators urged delaying the start to Jan. 1, 2027, and insisted the fee amount be approved by the Legislature before the state sets or collects it.

Why it matters: The proposal seeks to replace lost gas‑tax revenue from electrifying the vehicle fleet with a per‑mile charge on BEVs. Committee members said the design must address affordability and rural equity before implementation — particularly for lower‑income drivers and rural residents who drove to the committee’s attention.

AOT timeline and next steps Patrick Murphy, Agency of Transportation, described the project schedule the agency submitted with a federal grant application and said the program development includes a testing and vendor support period. Murphy said the schedule shows a July 2026 go‑live date based on a January 2025 start and roughly 18 months of development and testing. He told the committee the agency will return with statutory language for the Legislature to consider: "We will come back with a suggestion about how to calculate a fee and…