Several US states are imposing psychological barriers to EV adoption; new taxes, fees, and pushback from legislators are causing some EV owners (and potential new ones) to voice their frustrations with them. Texas is the latest in about 30 states that impose registration fees on EVs. In a nutshell, these fees replace gasoline taxes lost to EVs. Gas taxes typically pay for infrastructure and upkeep, and since EV still use the same infrastructure as gas cars, supporters say it ensures every driver pays their fair share. The issue is that some of these fees leveraged are way higher than what gas taxes would accumulate to. Consumer Reports says that half the states are imposing fees that are “punishingly high.” Regardless of the fact that gas tax revenue continues to fall year on year, the purpose of these high taxes and fees looks increasingly like they’re implemented to dissuade people from buying EVs.

Unfortunately, vehicle taxes and fees aren’t the only weapons some states are using against the adoption of EVs. Some states have imposed taxes on charging; leading some to worry that free charging may be threatened by higher costs. Georgia is one example: it will tax electricity generated at public charging stations at a rate of 2.84 cents per kilowatt-hour, starting in 2025. Typically, free charging is designed to be an incentive to lure additional business, but if that becomes too costly, the costs for some businesses may outweigh the benefits. Again, the claim is for “everyone to pay their fair share” but EV owners have already paid their fair share: they’re actively emitting less emissions into the same air everyone will breathe. That should already cover the costs of the tax.