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Automakers and safety groups press for lower EV registration fee than proposed in S.831
Summary
Auto industry witnesses recommended a lower biennial EV fee than the $400 in the bill, showing a gas-tax-equivalent formula that leads to roughly $270–$300 biennial; motorcycle and small-vehicle stakeholders urged exemptions or lower fees for two-wheelers and mopeds.
Jeff Thordahl, representing the Alliance of Automotive Innovation, urged the subcommittee to set the electric-vehicle (EV) fee in Section 16 based on a gas-tax-equivalent formula rather than the bill’s $400 figure. Using commonly cited assumptions (roughly 12,000 miles driven per year and 25 mpg equivalent), he said the average driver’s forgone gas-tax contribution equates to about $135 per year; biennial rounding in other states yields roughly $270–$300 between registrations rather than $400.
"When we do that in South Carolina, what we come up with is about $135 a year," Thordahl said. "Double it, right, biennial... Now we're at $300. So that's our math, how we got there." He described that approach as a rational basis used by many states.
Separately, Ralph Bell (A beta South Carolina) urged the subcommittee to preserve a lower biannual fee for motorcycles, saying a $400 charge would make electric motorcycles uneconomic for many riders and could deter adoption among enthusiasts.
Rick Todd of the South Carolina Trucking Association told members large interstate commercial vehicles are a separate technical conversation. He recommended caution before imposing flat fees on interstate freight vehicles and said the association is coordinating with DOT on tolling language and exemptions for heavy commercial vehicles.
Committee members asked staff for fiscal estimates of the proposed fee levels and discussed enforcement and reporting questions for large electric commercial vehicles. No amendment votes were taken at the hearing; staff will provide formal revenue projections before the next meeting.
