State Rep. Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow, has filed House Bill 2234, The DRIVE Act, to ensure all vehicles utilizing our state highways are contributing to the cost of maintaining this system in a fair and equitable manner.

Joining as co-authors of the legislation in the Oklahoma House are State Reps. Brian Hill, R-Mustang; Dustin Roberts, R-Durant; Avery Frix, R-Muskogee, Todd Russ, R-Cordell, Scott Fetgatter, R-Okmulgee, Nicole Miller R-Edmond; and State Sens. Zack Taylor, R-Seminole; and James Leewright, R-Bristow.

“Currently, this infrastructure is funded largely with fuel taxes that road users pay at the gas pump,” the lawmakers said in a joint statement. “As more Americans transition to heavier electric, battery-powered automobiles, a greater burden is placed on our state’s fuel tax revenue, which inevitably will begin to decline.

“This problem is not unique to Oklahoma and is one that all fifty states must address at some point in the near future.

“While some states have passed laws that are punitive to the electric vehicle industry, the intent of this legislation is simply equity. This is a three-part bill, which goes to great lengths to collect revenue in a fair manner.”

Part 1 of this bill enacts a tax per kilowatt hour at public for-profit charging stations. As the bill currently reads, a vehicle with a 50KW battery could fully charge for a tax of $3.50 or less. For comparison, a vehicle with a 16-gallon gas tank would pay $3.04 in state gas taxes to fill up completely, the proposed difference due to vehicle weight.

Part 2 of this bill would enact an annual vehicle registration fee for electric vehicles tied directly to what the average comparable vehicle model powered only by a combustion engine would spend in a given year in fuel taxes as well as on their weights.

Part 3 of the bill recognizes that while most EV users charge their vehicles at home, there are some who don’t or who do take the occasional trip on the road.