The new law from July now requires drivers of specific models to pay a $1,000 surcharge upfront – current owners will have to pay $250

CERTAIN drivers can now receive a $1,000 surcharge and a $250 annual fee.

The cost of purchasing and owning an electric vehicle in New Jersey has risen rapidly.

Drivers looking to buy an EV must shell out an extra $1,000.

The huge upfront fee comes because new drivers must immediately pay four years of their annual registration fee, according to News12.

This fee will accompany the normal registration fee applicable to new vehicles.

These changes to electric cars will also affect current drivers.

Owners will now have to shell out hundreds of dollars to pay an annual registration fee.

This charge will start at $250 and increase by $10 per year for the next four years.

The fee will be capped at $290.

These changes took effect on July 1st.

Money earned from these fees will go to the Transportation Trust Fund program.

This scheme will support new transport projects and plans.

These changes come as New Jersey plans to end the sale of gas-powered vehicles.

This state is slowly approaching the 2035 deadline to ban all gas-powered cars.

The implementation and encouragement of the use of electric vehicles has been strong by the US government.

The Biden administration has made rolling out green transportation a priority, US Sun previously reported.

Electric versus gas vehicles

Pros and cons of electric vehicles versus gasoline-powered vehicles

EV PROS:

• Convenient (when charging at home)
• Cheapest (depending on the state or city)
• Cheaper maintenance due to lack of mechanical parts
• Great for commuting
• Reduced CO2 emissions
• Federal and state tax incentives
• More performance (speed, handling – depending on make and model)

EV CONS:

• Higher initial cost
• Higher Insurance Rates
• More frequent tire and brake replacement intervals
• Higher tare weight (thus causing faster wear on crucial parts)
• Low resale value
• High depreciation rates
• Lack of charging infrastructure
• Unreliable public loading (related: slow loading times)
• Poor performance in winter and summer
• Lack of clean energy alternatives means more “dirty energy” from coal and nuclear sources
• Range anxiety

PROS OF GAS:

• Highly developed refueling infrastructure
• Fast replenishment
• Cheapest insurance rates depending on make, model and configuration
• Established repair industry
• Lower initial cost
• Greater range before refueling, especially with hybrids
• Many manufacturers produce engines with almost fewer emissions
• Cheaper refueling depending on location

CONS OF GAS:

• Finite resource (related: heavy dependence on oil)
• Carbon emissions/greenhouse gases
• Higher repair costs
• Higher insurance rates depending on make, model and configuration
• Varying costs at the pump depending on state, city and county

Source: Driver, Perch Energy, Automatic Week

This included new legislation that encourages car manufacturers to introduce batteries into their vehicles.

This could be through a fully electric car or the manufacture of hybrid models.

ELECTRIC MONEY

Despite these new EV fees in New Jersey, other states have continued with monetary incentives.

Drivers who want to transition to electric vehicles in Maine can receive up to $7,500.

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) introduced tax credits and rebates to support the transition to cleaner transportation.

Eligible battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles can receive up to $7,500 due to the 30D IRA tax credit.