Saskatchewan introduced its electric vehicle road-use fee over the weekend, and it will apply to electric cars that have or will be registered after October 1st.
The fee was announced back in April and was introduced by the Government to even out what drivers of fossil-fueled and electric cars pay into road repairs.
The $150 fee electric drivers now pay is approximately even, the Government says, to what the average gas or diesel driver pays through taxes on fuel. The money from all of these fees will be used to repair highways and streets across the province.
The annual fee will be added on when an electric car driver goes in for their annual registration or renewal. Electric vehicles that aren’t registered for a full year term will have what they pay prorated to the length of the term.
Hybrid vehicles are not subject to the fee, as they partially use fossil fuels and therefore pay into the fuel tax for road repair.
As of September 22, there were 611 electric vehicles registered in Saskatchewan, and drivers of these cars were sent letters in early September to inform them about the fee coming into effect.