Electric vehicle owners don’t buy gas. States look for other ways to pay for roads and bridges.

States with aggressive climate goals like Oregon are facing a conundrum

ABC News

By CLAIRE RUSH Associated Press

March 17, 2025

PORTLAND, Ore. -- The pothole outside Timothy Taylor's home was so deep, he could hear the clunk of cars hitting it from inside his house.

The Portland, Oregon, resident could sympathize with those drivers: He knew to avoid his own neighborhood pothole, but another one damaged his car's suspension to the tune of $1,000.

“Hearing that awful sound of your car bottoming out — it’s horrible,” he said.

Oregon transportation officials say that without more funding, residents like Taylor could see further declines in the quality of roads, highways and bridges starting this year. But revenues from gas taxes paid by drivers at the pump are projected to decrease as more people adopt electric and fuel-efficient cars, forcing officials to look for new ways to fund transportation infrastructure.

States with aggressive climate goals like Oregon face a conundrum: EVs can help reduce emissions in the transportation sector, the nation's largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, but they also mean less gas tax revenue in government coffers.

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