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EV advocate tells lawmakers Kentucky has about 1% electric vehicles, outlines fees and equity concerns
Summary
An Evolve Kentucky board member told the interim transportation subcommittee that roughly 1% of Kentucky passenger vehicles are electric and described how registration fees, charger inspection proposals and operator charges produce modest revenues while raising equity concerns for renters who cannot charge at home.
Mike Proctor, a board member of the nonprofit Evolve Kentucky, told the Kentucky General Assembly’s interim budget review subcommittee on transportation on July 1 that electric vehicles (EVs) make up about 1% of the state’s registered passenger vehicles and outlined how current fees generate revenue.
Proctor said Kentucky had fewer than 30,000 plug-in and battery-electric vehicles compared with roughly three million registered vehicles, “so we are 1% of the vehicles out on the roads.” He described three main revenue streams that touch EV users: a $126 annual registration fee for EV owners, operator-collected taxes on paid charging sessions, and a proposed $150 annual inspection fee per DC fast-charger plug. “If you’ve got eight plugs, you’ll pay eight times $150,” he said, describing a recent registration-legislation proposal tied to charger inspections.
Why it matters: Lawmakers pressed Proctor on whether those fees put EV owners “on parity” with internal-combustion drivers. Proctor said the $126 registration fee was intended to approximate the tax paid at the pump for comparable driving and that EV owners are not being “gouged” under current formulas, while acknowledging distributional issues arise for drivers who cannot charge at home.
Proctor emphasized non‑monetary benefits such as lower local air pollution, quieter streets and tourism spillovers where drivers charge at destinations and spend locally. He also argued that most revenue from large DC fast chargers comes from federal grants and private investment rather than state funds.
Equity and usage questions: Committee members asked how renters and apartment residents who lack home charging access were affected. Proctor said those drivers often must rely on public or destination chargers and may face higher per-mile costs when forced to use pay-for fast chargers. He provided an example showing an additional per-charge tax that could add roughly $102 a year in charging taxes for a renter driving 12,000 miles under the assumptions he used.
Road wear and technical claims: Proctor disputed simple claims that EVs inherently damage roads, saying axle weight determines pavement wear and that typical passenger EVs under common axle-weight thresholds produce negligible additional roadway damage compared with heavier commercial vehicles.
Growth outlook: Proctor showed registration growth from a few hundred EVs in 2013 to roughly 27,883 at the end of 2025 and said growth had been rapid but could taper without federal tax incentives. He cautioned that year-over-year gains had been as high as about 40% but may slow if purchase incentives remain unavailable.
What’s next: Lawmakers thanked Proctor and followed with several clarifying questions; the committee moved on to a report from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. The presentation did not include a proposed state rule or a committee motion; lawmakers sought more empirical data about charger usage and business impacts on dealerships and small operators.
