MADISON, Wis. -- The Wisconsin Department of Transportation says it will start sending out new license plate stickers to drivers who own electric and hybrid vehicles due to a new law.
The law passed last year requires all hybrids and EVs to have license plate stickers as a safety precaution for first responders, letting them know when they approach the scene of a crash whether the vehicle is electric or a traditional combustion engine so they can use the appropriate equipment.
The bill proposal introduced last year referenced a report published in 2013 by the National Fire Protection Alliance noted that EV fires are less likely to include explosions than combustion engine vehicle fires, but EV fires may burn more intensely due to the chemicals used in batteries. Hybrids and EVs may also have a higher risk of electric shocks to first responders, according to a 2020 report from the National Transportation Safety Board.
Anyone who already owns a hybrid or EV will automatically be sent the stickers in the mail, and they should receive them by June. Anyone who buys a hybrid or EV starting this summer will get the stickers with their new license plates. The DOT says there is no need to contact the DMV to get the stickers.
The DOT says the sticker should be placed in the upper right corner of each standard-sized license plate.
State records show there were nearly 146,000 hybrids and EVs on Wisconsin roads last year.
Not all states use month stickers, in my state the month of renewal is on the plate just like the plate ID (abc-123) and the only sticker is the year, my state allows buying a two year sticker though which I just did yesterday.