Hybrid and electric car owners to pay extra fee in Idaho

Those interested in buying a hybrid or electric car have to keep a new cost in mind. It’s part of the last-minute compromise to help boost the Gem State’s transportation shortfall.

Gov. Butch Otter signed HB 312a into law Tuesday. It aims to bring $95 million to the state’s transportation fund. It raised the gas tax by seven cents, increased all vehicle registration fees, and added a $75 registration fee for hybrid cars and a $140 registration fee for electric cars.

At Courtesy Ford Lincoln in Pocatello, new car manager Chris Thompson said hybrids are pretty popular in the area and he doesn’t think the new fee will affect interest.

“The gas mileage is so good on the hybrid or the electric car that you’re going to benefit in the long run, even if you pay an extra $75 for a fee,” said Thompson.

He also said electric cars still don’t have a big presence in the region, since they require a recharge dock to be installed.

“The ability to recharge those cars is not set up as well in the rural area as it is in the city,” said Thompson.

Keene Hueftle, chairman of the Southeast Idaho Environmental Network, thinks otherwise about the fees. With them in place, he feels it inhibits interest. Also, because Idaho is mostly rural, it’s hard for Idahoans to be environmentally conscious.

He said more of these cars it could help, but he isn’t too optimistic.

“How long it’s going to take for people in Idaho to be conscious of their environmental impact, I don’t know,” said Hueftle.

Typically, the sticker price for a new hybrid car is $25,000 to $27,000. For an electric car, it’s around the mid-$30,000s to the low-$40,000s.