New $500 Nova Scotia EV Levy Takes Effect Today

Electric-vehicle owners renewing their registration in Nova Scotia will begin seeing a new charge today.

The province’s EV road levy officially takes effect October 1.

Owners of fully electric passenger vehicles, light trucks and vans will pay $500 on top of their normal two-year vehicle registration fee. Plug-in hybrid owners will pay $250.

Conventional hybrids are exempt.

The province says gasoline taxes help fund road construction and maintenance, while fully electric vehicles don’t contribute through fuel taxes and plug-in hybrids contribute less.

Nova Scotia is the fourth Canadian province to introduce a specific electric-vehicle levy.

The charge does not apply to municipal, police or fire vehicles.