The White House has thrown a lot of weight behind electric vehicles. It is the administration’s view that everyone should eventually transition away from current vehicles that rely upon gas.
According to the Biden administration, electric vehicles are friendlier to the environment, free of oil smells, and otherwise easier to manage.
However, some details have brought these claims about electric vehicles into question. For one thing, the Chinese government (not America’s) is the one in possession of the components necessary to create these vehicles.
Therefore, if the Biden administration got what it wanted today, China would have a significantly stronger influence over how US citizens get from point a to point b.
Secondly, over the past several months alone, there have been issues with charging stations for electric vehicles.
Some charging stations have been out of operation; meanwhile, some drivers of electric vehicles have been told to delay use of charging stations during certain hours, owing to heat waves’ anticipated impacts on power grids.
As the controversies over electric vehicles continue to grow, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg recently got into a back and forth with Republican lawmakers over this, per Washington Examiner.
The Price Factor
As Buttigieg and others within the Biden administration call for across-the-board use of electric vehicles, there seems to be a lack of understanding.
Many Americans can’t even afford to pay for gas today, let also spend tens of thousands of dollars on an electric vehicle.
The matter of pricing came upon during Buttigieg’s testimony before the House Transportation Committee on Tuesday.
Specifically, the Transportation Secretary was pressed on the average $55,000 price tag that’s associated with these vehicles. GOP Rep. Scott Perry asked Buttigieg why he believes the average American can afford this.
.@RepScottPerry: "Just looking at Kelley Blue Book the price of a EV is about $55,000…"@SecretaryPete: "I'm struck by this $55,000 number that keeps going around. I knew this might come up so I just pulled a few of the latest prices…a Chevy Volt…is $26,595…" pic.twitter.com/yNC2A0KlOY
— CSPAN (@cspan) July 19, 2022
To that end, Buttigieg said he doesn’t believe this is an easy buy for the everyday person. However, the Transportation Secretary also went on to claim that different types of electric vehicles can come to a price below $55,000.
Yet, the figures cited by Buttigieg were in the $20,000 and $30,000 ranges. This still shakes out to a bill that most people just can’t afford in the current US economy.
More From Buttigieg on Electric Vehicles
During the Transportation Secretary’s congressional testimony on Tuesday, the issue of electric vehicles’ components being made in China also came up.
Buttigieg claimed the Transportation Department is joining forces with the Energy Department to find new sources of production for these parts that don’t involve the Chinese government.
Thank you for your questions during today’s @TransportDems hearing with @SecretaryPete on building micro transit and EV infrastructure throughout the country. https://t.co/FA2ugHZjZt
— Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure (@TransportDems) July 19, 2022
He then stated that even if electric vehicle parts can’t be created in the United States on a wide scale, their production in a nation that’s more friendly to America is a goal.
What do you think about the latest congressional remarks on electric vehicles? We welcome your feedback in the comments area below.
This article appeared in The Conservative Brief and has been published here with permission.
