US bill proposes new national EV tax, while some push to slash gas tax to zero

# Summary A new US transportation bill proposes an annual $130 tax on electric vehicles and $35 on plug-in hybrids, with automatic annual increases, to be collected by states or enforced through federal funding penalties. The bill is criticized for unfairly targeting EVs—which cause minimal road damage compared to heavy trucks—while leaving the federal gas tax unchanged since 1993 and cutting funding for EV charging and electrification programs. The proposal represents a continuation of fossil fuel industry efforts to disadvantage clean transportation while protecting traditional vehicles from paying their proportional share of road maintenance costs.