By Jessica Holdman
SCDailyGazette.com
COLUMBIA — The number of electric vehicles registered in South Carolina now tops 20,000, according to state data.
While fully electric vehicles and hybrids that can be plugged in to recharge are still just a fraction of the roughly 3.5 million registered vehicles in the state, their numbers continue to rise each year, according to the Department of Motor Vehicles.
In 2022, the state had more than 9,100 registered electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. By May 2023, that number had risen 45% to nearly 13,200 vehicles. June 2024 saw a 54% rise, bringing the total to 20,300 vehicles.
The numbers include 29 electric buses that are part of the state-run school bus fleet.
The growing use of these vehicles will reignite the debate over how the state will continue to fund road maintenance, which is largely paid for through state and federal by-the-gallon taxes on gasoline.
In 2017, the General Assembly voted to raise the state’s fuel tax by 12 cents over six years (going up incrementally by 2 cents annually through 2023) to a total of 28.75 cents of every dollar spent on fuel. At the same time, legislators enacted biennial fees on electric vehicles — $120 for fully-electric cars and $60 for hybrids — to help cover road costs.
But those biennial fees already don’t cover the growing gap in taxes their drivers don’t pay at the gas pump.
South Carolina’s 2017 law marked the first time in 30 years legislators increased the gas tax. They also increased regular registration fees by $16 and raised the sales tax cap from $300 to $500 for every vehicle sold.
State officials presented the data during a S.C. Department of Transportation-led meeting about the state’s electric vehicle industry where heads of various state agencies discussed plans for increasing the number of electric vehicle charging stations along South Carolina’s interstates.
The Palmetto State has received $40.2 million to date in federal funding meant to expand charging options along state roadways. An additional $30 million is still to come over the next two years.
SCDOT said by the end of 2024 it will start seeking contractors to install more fast-charging stations in the state.
Jessica Holdman writes about the economy, workforce and higher education. Before joining the S.C. Daily Gazette, she was a business reporter for The Post and Courier.
S.C. Daily Gazette is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
