Most experts agree putting more electric vehicles on the road is a major step toward fighting climate change, but a new report says states will also need to find new ways to fund road maintenance.

Currently, Michigan pays for road construction with a tax on gasoline and diesel, but as more electric vehicles take to the road, the highway fund is expected to shrink by tens of millions of dollars.

Report author Patrick Anderson, CEO of the East Lansing-based Anderson Economic Group, warned that unless lawmakers devise a new formula to pay for upkeep, Michigan's already-crumbling roadways will only get worse.

"For a lot of people who make a switch to an electric vehicle, they're paying $100 or $200 less a year in road taxes, but they're putting more weight on the road," he said. "That's a big, big switch, and something that has significant consequences for our ability to maintain our roads."

Anderson said EV owners now pay $140 a year in fees, while gas-powered vehicle drivers pay about $400 in fees and fuel costs. By 2030, he said, that could mean fewer tax dollars for the state, by hundreds of millions.

Anderson said a 2021 survey of Michigan roads and highways found that one-third of them were rated "poor," with only one-quarter in "good" condition. Michigan is slated to get $2.4 billion for transportation projects from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill over the next five years, but Anderson said the state needs a longer-term solution for its roadway upkeep.

"The report doesn't recommend that people either buy or don't buy an EV - I drive one myself - but they're not telling people what kind of car they should drive," he said. "We are saying that these decisions have consequences and that, right now, electric-vehicle drivers are not paying the same to maintain roads."

The report outlined several suggestions for EVs, including higher registration costs, mileage-based fees, a fee charged per kilowatt hour and a "miles fee" calculated during annual registration or by toll roads. Currently, eight other states are testing pilot programs to equalize the maintenance fees paid by all vehicle owners.

Cincinnati's small business owners say they're eagerly anticipating upgrades to the Brent Spence Bridge, announced jointly last week by President Joe Biden, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear.

The federal government gave the two states more than $1 billion for bridge infrastructure improvements and for construction of a companion bridge to ease vehicle congestion.

Anne Zimmerman owns a Cincinnati accounting firm and is the co-chair of the group Small Business for America's Future. She said her business has been hampered over the years by unpredictable bridge shutdowns and traffic problems.

"It's just in such bad shape that a lot of people won't even drive it any more," said Zimmerman. "They're worried it's too dangerous after a couple of recent crashes and fires, and crumbling of it."

According to the Federal Highway Administration, Brent Spence is responsible for the second-worst truck bottleneck in the nation.

More than $400 billion of cargo crosses the Ohio River each year.

Gov. Mike DeWine says groundbreaking will happen this year, and the project is expected to be complete by 2029.

Zimmerman said she's not the only small business owner anticipating major benefits to the regional economy, including more jobs and service businesses.

"Well, you can't live in Cincinnati and not cross into Kentucky if not daily or more," said Zimmerman. "So if I'm going to do business, if I'm going to go see a client, I have to cross the river."

The Brent Spence Bridge was constructed more then 60 years ago to carry around 80,000 vehicles a day, but daily traffic has doubled in the decades since.

This story was produced in association with Media in the Public Interest and funded in part by the George Gund Foundation.

It's been two decades since Minnesota stopped allowing undocumented people to apply for a driver's license. But there's renewed momentum in the Legislature to roll back that restriction.

A House panel heard testimony yesterday for a "Drivers' Licenses for All" bill. The idea has seen heavy debate in recent years but hasn't been able to pass under split state government.

Its supporters feel their chances are better now, with Democrats controlling the governor's office and legislature.

Community organizer with Unidos MN Regina Olono Vidales spoke in support of the plan, and said that in college, it was a barrier for her and other undocumented students.

"People like us live in fear every day," said Vidales. "Just from going to work, to class, to go get groceries, you name it. This is an issue of transportation, accessibility, education, public safety and so much more."

Other supporters who testified included business groups, faith leaders and members of law enforcement. Some note it would provide stability to Minnesota's labor force and make roadways safer.

Republicans who oppose the idea argue it opens the door to illegal immigration and could lead to instances of voter fraud.

But Democratic-Farmer-Labor lawmakers have noted these would be "noncompliant" licenses related to the Real ID Act, meaning they couldn't be used to register to vote.

Francisco Segovia is the executive director of Comunidades Organizando el Poder y la Acción Latina (COPAL MN), which is leading a campaign to get the bill passed in the first 45 days of session. He said opponents have allowed this issue to become politicized.

"A driver's license is basically an authorization or a privilege to be able to operate a motor vehicle," said Segovia. "It shouldn't be an immigration issue here. And everyone benefits from having people driving vehicles with the proper authorization and the proper training."

Segovia said he thinks policymakers need to consider the state's growing Latino population, nearly 40% of whom under age 18.

He said some are growing up in households with parents who can't drive them to after-school activities and appointments, putting them at a disadvantage.

Nearly 20 states already offer driving privileges to people who lack permanent legal status.

By Frank Jossi for Energy News Network.
Broadcast version by Mike Moen for Minnesota News Connection reporting for the Solutions Journalism Network-Public News Service Collaboration

A pioneering electric-vehicle car-sharing service in the Twin Cities saw steady growth during the first half of 2022, exceeding the expectations of backers during the program’s first six months following a relaunch.

Evie Community Carshare claimed to be the nation’s first all-electric, renewably powered car-share service when it launched last year. It now has over 100 vehicles serving a 35-square-mile area of Minneapolis and St. Paul chosen for its high concentrations of poverty and pollution.

“It’s been a hit,” said James Vierling, head of growth, marketing and communications for HourCar, which operates Evie. “We’ve been growing a lot faster than we thought we would.” 

The service logged nearly 25,000 trips totaling almost a quarter million miles between February and July, reducing an estimated 741 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions. It also helped members save an estimated $2.6 million on transportation, including about $850,000 for very low-income households.

“It’s going wonderfully,” said Will Schroeer, executive director of East Metro Strong. “We’re exceeding our projections and we’ve seen new record use each month since our launch. Trips and membership continue to increase every month and that’s what you want to see.”

Erin Kayser, electric vehicle program coordinator for the city of St. Paul, said the Evie program’s ability to enroll lower-income subscribers had surpassed expectations as it pursues a goal of having Black, Indigenous, and people of color constitute half the system’s usage. “The progress since February has been amazing,” she said.

The car-share universe includes a handful of national companies such as Zipcar and a smattering of locally operated programs in Sacramento, Los Angeles and other cities. The Twin Cities has been a leader in the field through HourCar, which has 17 years of car-share program experience.

HourCar developed a public-private partnership to create Evie with the cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Xcel Energy, East Metro Strong, and the American Lung Association. The service is a “free-flow” program in which members can pick up and leave cars nearly anywhere within the footprint.

HourCar’s Vierling said the goal in free-flow car-share service is typically three to five trips per car per day. Evie is currently around two trips, he said.

The program is a division of the EV Spot Network, which provides more than 30 sites with on-street chargers in neighborhoods often lacking EV facilities, Kayser said. She said that renters with EVs often have no access to chargers near where they live, especially in marginalized communities, where the EV Spot Network placed several chargers.

The rollout has not been seamless. Evie began last year with dozens of Chevy Bolts that General Motors recalled last October for a battery problem, forcing a pause in the program before a February 2022 restart. In addition, supply chain issues have slowed the delivery of new vehicles to the system.

Evie is entering its first full winter and HourCar anticipates fewer trips due to the weather. The momentum of the first six months needs to continue with social media, word-of-mouth marketing and other outreach to attract more customers.

“It’s a new idea to a lot of folks and the more use we get, the more word of mouth there is that it works great,” Schroeer said.

Evie grew out of HourCar, a car-share program the Center for Energy and Environment began in 2005. In 2017, HourCar became a nonprofit organization and two years later added service in the southern Minnesota city of Rochester. 

Unlike Evie vehicles, HourCar vehicles are picked up at a hub and returned to the same one by drivers. Both services cover insurance, roadside assistance and fuel or charges. Together, they have more than 5,000 members who can use either service.

In 2019 and 2020, HourCar met with community groups in 10 BIPOC and low-income neighborhoods to create strategies to reduce barriers to using electric vehicles. HourCar lowered rates by nearly 40% and created a new, lower-rate option for very low-income residents called Access Plus.

Evie offers Twin Cities residents without cars an opportunity to use one whenever needed for proverbial Target runs and other errands. The program’s research shows drivers generally employ the service for shopping, appointment drop-offs and other activities. Evie customers average less than 10 miles.

Jon Hunter, senior director of the American Lung Association Clean Air program in Minnesota, said funding for Evie came from several sources. Evie received a $6.6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Clean Cities program, mainly for curbside charging infrastructure. Some money will go to an HourCar initiative to place electric vehicles in low-income, multifamily projects. The Metropolitan Council contributed $4 million to help the program purchase vehicles and several other organizations also assisted with funding.

The lung association has a vested interest in expanding EVs since tailpipe vehicle emissions are a leading source of air pollution, Hunter said. Half the stations are in BIPOC neighborhoods that suffer higher air pollution levels than other areas of both cities, he said.

Vierling said by the end of next year Evie should have 70 charging locations with 280 connectors and 10 DC fast chargers. Evie should reach a goal of having 170 EVs on the streets sometime next year, with new Nissan Leafs being added to the portfolio. More cars will mean less of a commute for Evie members looking to use a vehicle.

Still, Evie only works for low-income residents if they have a good public transportation infrastructure. “Evie free-flow car share is never going to be your 100% replacement for owning a car without having other systems supporting it like Metro Transit, bikes and scooters,” Vierling said. “It takes an entire network to get rid of car ownership.”