Electric, hybrid vehicles issued new EV license plate stickers

Metro Wire Staff

Owners of electric and hybrid-electric vehicles in Wisconsin are receiving new license plate stickers by mail.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation has begun sending orange and black “EV Hybrid” stickers, as required by a law passed last year. The stickers are intended to help first responders quickly identify vehicles with electric components, allowing them to use different tactics in the event of a crash or fire.

Locally, firefighters underwent a lengthy classroom training last year on responding to an EV fire. At a course open to all firefighters in the area but organized by SPFD, crews learned how to identify an EV, how patient extrication varies, and how causes and locations of fire can be different than gasoline vehicles.

Current owners should expect to receive the stickers by June. Those purchasing new electric or hybrid vehicles will receive them along with their plates, either from the DOT or the dealership.

The stickers are to be attached in the upper right corner of both the front and rear license plates, to the right of the bolt or bolt hole, or as close to it as possible to ensure visibility if the plate is in a license plate holder.

According to the DOT, there were nearly 146,000 electric and hybrid-electric vehicles in Wisconsin in 2023.