CHEYENNE, Wyo. — The Wyoming Department of Transportation officially started collecting fuel tax and licensing fees from public electric vehicle charging stations around the state on Oct. 1.
In Wyoming statute, electricity is identified as an alternative fuel when used to charge electric vehicles and thus is subject to fuel tax. By law, all electricity sold publicly for the purpose of charging an EV must be reported and fuel tax remitted to Wyoming Fuel Tax Administration.
“Initially, the EV market was minimal, and Wyoming EV owners purchase annual decals with their vehicle registration to meet the fuel tax requirement,” said Wayne Hassinger, Wyoming Fuel Tax Administration manager. “With the expansion of EV ownership nationwide, there are more out-of-state EVs traveling Wyoming roads, so WYDOT is starting that collection process to ensure fair taxation.”
The applicable rate, as outlined in statute, is $0.24 per gallon. The method of calculating the fuel tax on electricity is based on kilowatt-hours using the Gasoline Gallon Equivalent formula. More information can be found here.
Offering customers free electric vehicle charging does not preclude the station owner from this requirement.
“Ultimately, it’s just like gasoline or diesel fuel,” said Kimberly Peters, Wyoming Fuel Tax Administration supervisor. “The electricity is fueling vehicles that are driving on the roads. Fuel tax helps recoup some of WYDOT’s costs to maintain those roads and bridges.”
The Wyoming Fuel Tax EV Charging Station license is also statutorily required as part of the collection process. The annual license fee is $25 per location. Owners are also subject to monthly reporting requirements.
This requirement is for public-facing Level 2 and Level 3 charging stations. No payments will be collected for electricity used prior to Oct. 1, 2025. EV owners who charge their vehicles at home will not be subject to these requirements.
Charging station owners need to take immediate action to ensure compliance. For more information, people can contact Wyoming Fuel Tax Administration at wyoevtax@wyo.gov.
