Not too long ago, experts were saying that gas-powered cars would soon disappear from our streets, replaced by sophisticated space-age ships powered by electricity. However, consumer demand for electric vehicles never lived up to the hype.
Fewer drivers than ever are now interested in electric cars Previously, according to a new study. This is further supported by the recent announcement that Hertz is selling 20,000 of his electric cars in its fleet.
The most obvious reason for consumer disillusionment is the hassle of charging EVs. Few drivers try to organize their plans around finding a charging station and waiting until the battery is full.
During the country’s recent arctic explosion, drivers found it took longer to fully charge. In frigid weather, fragile EV batteries are forced to draw their own power to stay warm.
No matter how many subsidies and regulations the federal government pushes into the market, consumers prefer the convenience and reliability of gasoline. They are also waking up to the fact that EVs are not living up to their much-anticipated environmental promise.
Cobalt, an essential ingredient in EV batteries, is primarily mined in mines owned and controlled by the Chinese Communist Party in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Children as young as 4 years old also work They earn only $1 or $2 a day in toxic dust. The cobalt is then shipped to China for refining. After all this, only about 5%t of lithium-ion batteries are recycled.
Even the label “zero emissions” is misleading. Electricity for EVs is overwhelmingly generated from coal and natural gas.Federal and state subsidies are trying to force an energy transition, but renewables are supplementing it Only a quarter of the national grid. That’s why my colleague ironically drives an electric car with a bumper sticker that says, “You can’t run without oil, gas, or coal.”
Finally, Americans are beginning to realize that electric vehicle list prices (made attractive by generous taxpayer subsidies starting at 10 cents) shift most of the cost onto those who can least afford it. There is.
Completely ignored at the recent Senate Energy and Natural Resources hearing on federal electric vehicle incentives was the fact that: Every EV sold costs taxpayers nearly $50,000 more.. This is from the first study my colleagues and I have published. The total cost in 2021 is he estimated at $21 billion, an amount that taxpayers will definitely want to get back.
It’s not just our tax returns that suffer from the government’s preferential treatment of EVs.Domestic and public charging stations also place a heavy burden on the power grid, so on average Socialization cost per vehicle is $11,833 Over 10 years. We pay those costs as electricity bills.
We should be deeply concerned about rising utility costs. These are more than just a nuisance. In some cases, it can be fatal. The Energy Information Administration reports that 27% of American households Struggling to pay household utility bills. Roughly the same number of people skipped necessities like prescription refills and grocery shopping, kept their homes at dangerous temperatures, or received power outage notices to make ends meet. And that’s based on 20202 numbers, before “Bidenflation” hit Americans’ wallets.
President Biden and his officials are grappling with questions about why voters are still clinging to gas-powered cars. But the reason is clear. Electric cars are inferior products. They are also harming the environment and damaging the economy in hidden ways that their biggest cheerleaders aren’t honest about.
The Biden administration should get out of the way and let the free market tell auto dealers what consumers want.
Jason Isaac is the Founder and CEO of the American Energy Association and a Distinguished Fellow of the American Energy Association. Life: Powered At the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF).
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
