That makes sense because people who are having a hard time fitting $4 a gallon gas in their budgets will surely be able to squeeze in a new payment for an electric vehicle, right?
Of course not!
It’s an extremely elitist attitude to take, yet this is what the American people are getting from the Biden administration and its shameless attempt to use pain and suffering at the pump to push a poorly-timed and ill-conceived green energy agenda:
Pete Buttigieg wants people to simply buy an electric car so they don't have to worry about rising gas prices. pic.twitter.com/VBcIfRotvE
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) March 7, 2022
The cost-savings take quite a while to add up if you spend $40,000 to $80,000 on a new electric vehicle and saddle yourself with a hefty payment. Sure, you save on gas money, but you’re spending more on a vehicle and lose out on the convenience of filling your tank in 5 minutes to go another 400 miles.
Most people do not have an issue with electric vehicles. Tesla as a company is innovative and produces a product people want. Elon Musk may just be the savior of the free world, especially for the people of Ukraine. Other car companies are racing to catch up and provide “cool” electric vehicles of their own that people actually want to buy.
However, the pomposity and snobbery of responding to complaints about gas prices by telling people they could enjoy the cost-savings of electric vehicles is tone-deaf and insulting.
On average, electric vehicles cost $10,000 more than their internal combustion counterparts and typically come with more costs beyond the sticker price:
The average transaction price for an electric vehicle (EV) is $56,437, according to Kelley Blue Book — roughly $10,000 higher than the overall industry average of $46,329 that includes gas and EVs. In terms of pricing, an EV is equivalent to an entry-level luxury car.
To save time charging EVs and extend battery life, many drivers also install what’s known as “Level 2” chargers in their home, for a total cost of around $2,000, including installation. With a Level 2 charger, it will take less than eight hours to charge your vehicle, according to JD Power.
Most EVs come with a Level 1 charging cable that can be plugged into a common 120-volt household electric outlet, but it can take up to 40 hours to fully charge your vehicle. It’s cheaper, but less convenient.
That’s ok, says Buttigieg, you can suck it up if you really don’t like paying a hundred bucks to fill your tank. Just buy a new car instead. Problem solved.
The entire event was derided as being totally oblivious and callous to the plight of Americans as they fill up their gas tanks seeing ever-increasing prices:
Vice President Kamala Harris and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg were criticized Monday for a “tone-deaf” event focused on promoting electric buses as gas prices soared for most Americans.
Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, tweeted, “The Biden Administration could not be more tone-deaf.”
“Vice President Kamala Harris and [Transportation] Secretary Pete Buttigieg spent the afternoon promoting electric vehicles and Green New Deal policies.
“Are you kidding me?” Mullin wrote.
Americans are willing to endure a bit of financial pain if it means weaning off Russian oil and standing in solidarity with the Ukrainian people. What they won’t endure is an administration filled with hacks willing to throw American national security and energy independence under the bus of the anti-capitalist “green” agenda.
This is the leadership Democrats have standing behind Biden. Two political neophytes even less adept at “reading the room” than their boss.
Democrats should continue running on a platform in 2022 and 2024 praising expensive gasoline, then let the voters decide whether becoming energy independent is better than relying on bad actors in Iran, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, and Russia for our energy needs.
