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Alt-fuel vehicles roadshow goes on in wake of new fee, credit cut
Event kicks off in Gainesville on June 15
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Tim Echols, Georgia public service commissioner, opens a compartment in the front of his Eco Electric Kia Soul to plug in at the charging station outside Carriage Nissan in Gainesville before heading to Athens on Friday. The car comes with a cord that can be plugged into a regular outlet if necessary, but charging will take much longer than going to a designated charging station. - photo by Erin O. Smith
This year’s statewide tour of environmentally friendly vehicles, starting with a June 15 stop in Gainesville, has a less-than-amicable cloud hanging over it. Georgia’s new transportation funding law, which takes effect July 1, calls for electric car owners to pay an annual $200 fee — $300 for those used for commercial purposes — and the $5,000 tax credit serving as an incentive to buy such a vehicle is gone. “I think the average person probably has not heard about the additional $200 EV fee as much as the ending of the $5,000 state tax credit,” said Public Service Commissioner Tim Echols, who leads the fifth annual Alternative Fuel Vehicles Roadshow set for eight stops June 15-26.