Beginning this year, the registration fee for electric vehicles is $200, and $100 for hybrid and hybrid plug- in vehicles. If you own a gas-powered car, there is no extra fee.

Hybrid drivers in TN surprised by $100 extra fee for registration

We all know that we need to move away from the internal combustion engine (ICE). However, it does not appear a best solution has arrived.

"there’s a good argument to be made that the government, and automakers, are leaning too hard into all-electric and neglecting the virtues of hybrid technology. "

"Imagine some wheelbarrows filled with rocks. The rocks contain lithium, cobalt, manganese, nickel, graphite and other materials for lithium-ion batteries. By Toyota’s calculation, the amount of rocks needed for one long-range electric vehicle would be enough for either six plug-in hybrids or 90 of the type of hybrid that can’t be plugged in for a recharge. (Namely, the type whose batteries are recharged from the engine or from braking.)

“The overall carbon reduction of those 90 hybrids over their lifetimes is 37 times as much as a single battery electric vehicle,” Toyota argues. That’s a stunning statistic if true."

Other agree with Toyota's data.

"The production of electric vehicles produces more greenhouse gases than the production of cars with combustion engines. So E.V.s have to travel between 28,000 and 68,000 miles before they have an emissions advantage over similarly sized and equipped ICE-mobiles, according to Nunes. That may take 10 years or more if the E.V. isn’t driven much."

EVs "accounted for just 5.8 percent of new cars sold in the United States last year."

With Hybrids “having a gasoline backup helps alleviate range anxiety, allowing them to adopt plug-in hybrids even when the charging network around them is sparse. Moreover, given their lower price, middle- and low-income communities would also find adopting them easier than battery electric vehicles.”

There is a shortage of lithium necessary to create batteries for EVs and Hybrids. "Global lithium output is on track to triple this decade, but sales of electric SUVs, sports cars and sedans that rose 55% last year threaten to outrun that. Each battery requires about eight kilograms (17 pounds) of lithium, plus cobalt, nickel and other metals."

Manufacturers and governments are fighting over lithium mines and output. A Canadaian developer is trying to open a mine in Nevada which will be the biggest U.S. source. However, conservationists and American Indians are "asking a federal court to block development of the Nevada mine"... "Opponents say it might poison water supplies and soil and pollute nesting grounds for birds. “Securing metals must not come at a sacrifice to the environment,” said a U.S. group, the Natural Resources Defense Council, in a report last year."

Just recently Jefferson County, TN, leaders voted against a lithium battery storage facility because of the dangers involved and the lack of infrastructure to protect the community.

"The legislation raises registration fees for battery electric vehicles from $100 to $200 from 2024 to 2026 — and further increases the fees to $274 in 2026... Drivers of conventional hybrids or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles will have a new $100 registration fee."

“At $274, it would be the most expensive in the country,” said Erin Hafkenschiel, director of the nonpartisan think tank ThinkTennessee."

"electric vehicles currently account for about 0.4% of registered vehicles in the state. Tennessee had about 12,000 electric vehicles registered at the end of 2021, according to the U.S. Department of Energy."

With the $200 per year transportation fee for EVs and $100 per year transportation fee for Hybrid vehicles:
Owners of EVs and Hybrids will pay more per year in transportation (gas) tax than gas vehicles.

It is understandable that there will be a fee to offset lower gas taxes in order to maintain roads, bridges, etc. But, to charge more? I thought we were trying to incentivize moving to hyrbids/EVs, not deter.

200 miles per week
10,400 miles per year

TN Gas Tax 0.274/gal (0.26 + 0.014 special petroleum fee)

** Gas vehicles - 20 miles per gallon
$142.48 a year (52 weeks) (0.274 TN gas tax)
$2.74/week

** Hybrid vehicles - 40 miles per gallon
$171.24 a year (52 weeks) (0.274 TN gas tax plus $100 annual fee)
$3.29/week

** Electric vehicles
$200.00 a year (52 weeks) ($200 annual fee)
$3.84/week

Transportation Modernization Act of 2023

Go to the Summary tab and Scroll down to Electric Vehicles section (about 3/4 the way down on the page)

It's been written many places that electric vehicle (EV) and Hybrid vehicle batteries are expensive to replace. The good news is that the car manufacturers usually have an 8 year, 100,000 warranty on the batteries. The bad news is that if the battery fails after the warranty expires it could cost anywhere from $3,000 to nearly $20,000 to replace. Yowza!

Many people drive their vehicles way over the 100,000 mileage mark. I met a person the other day with a Honda Civic (internal combustion engine) that had over 160,000 miles. The person plans to drive the car for many more years. Vehicles with internal combustion engines can also encounter major costs such as an engine rebuild. An internal combustion engine rebuild can cost anywhere from $2,500 to $4,000 or more depending on the car, based on a search of the Internet.

Then there is the issue of recycling and disposal of old EV and Hybrid batteries.

If batteries past their prime supply the ingredients for new ones, electric cars, trucks and vans would become more affordable and environmentally sustainable.

Fortunately, those battery ingredients are also highly reusable. And now a race is on to collect and recycle used lithium-ion batteries.

A lot will have to change between now and when EVs and Hybrid vehicles will be the norm. It's a good start, though.