A new tax has electric vehicle chargers paying a little more at the ‘pump’.
- On January 1st, electric vehicle drivers began paying a small tax at the ‘pump’
- Myles Coleman says that he saves a lot not buying gas, so he is fine with the new law
- Wisconsin EV drivers have grown from 3,700 to 27,000 since 2019
Electric vehicle chargers are becoming the primary fuel source for an increasing number of drivers. Myles Coleman rarely uses public EV chargers.
“Whenever I’m on quote unquote road trips,” he told me. “Right now, I’m on my way home from Green Bay to Milwaukee. That is why I am supercharging.
I spoke with him in Manitowoc, where there are only a few charging stations. However, at least one more is on its way, after the state announced federal funding last year to build dozens more across Wisconsin.
Coleman’s road trips now cost slightly more than they did last year due to a state tax that went into effect on January 1st.
But he says it’s worthwhile because he’s already saving a lot of money on gasoline.
“The month just started so $83 is pretty good if you ask me,” Coleman told me.
The new tax is three cents per kilowatt hour. I spoke with Elizabeth and Lawrence Miller on their way to Door County to get a sense of how this affects their wallet. Their truck has a battery capacity of 130 kilowatt hours, which is a large battery for an EV.
They pumped or charged up to 70 kilowatt hours, and the tax was slightly more than $2. It costs them approximately $32 plus tax, though smaller cars cost less.
“Less tax revenue is being collected from gas and they have to get the money from somewhere,” Elizabeth told me.
According to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, there were more than 27,000 registered electric vehicles in Wisconsin last year, up from about 3,700 in 2019. These converts are all over it.
“Never having to stop at a gas station again, really feels great,” claimed Elizabeth.
This tax is only applicable to public chargers. There is still no state tax when charging your vehicle at home.
