Ideally, he said, they are looking to source elements in the U.S., and if not in the United States, then in geopolitically friendlier territory. Another $4,500 tax credit can be added if the vehicle was assembled with domestic union labor. and a gas-powered car is $19,000! Amid high gas prices, Pete Buttigieg slammed for telling Americans to switch to electric cars Gabriel Hays 7/16/2022 Critics heaped scorn upon a clip showing Department of Transportation. While Eli David is right to suggest in the tweet above that gas prices may indirectly affect electricity prices in some way, the U.S. is gradually shifting toward renewable sources for electricity, and eventually this argument may become less true over time. AMID HIGH GAS PRICES, PETE BUTTIGIEG SLAMMED FOR TELLING AMERICANS TO SWITCH TO ELECTRIC CARS. Higher prices are a small price to pay, these leftists claim, in order to sanction Russia and punish it for the invasion. - $500 for vehicles manufactured with no less than 50 percent domestic content in component parts and battery cells are manufactured within the U.S. As proposed, the credit may not apply to vehicles over max suggested retail price of $80,000 for vans, SUVs, and pickup trucks or $55,000 for all other vehicles. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. And while the Republican critics of EVs make arguments about policy, like suggesting the tax credits will only help wealthy car buyers or that they will make America more dependent on China, its hard to escape the conclusion that the GOP fight against EVs is as much about culture and tribal identity as it is about the merits of what the Biden administration is trying to do. Former President Donald Trump had the country on the way to energy independence, but as soon as Biden assumed office, he took detrimental action and canceled the Keystone XL pipeline. As I wrote in a, , our 2018 Chevy Volt is the best car weve ever owned. According to Kelly Blue Book, the average price of a new electric vehicle as of June was $66,997 13.7% more than last year compared to $26,211 for a new compact car. "Prices and Factors Affecting Prices." Accessed 30 Nov. 2021. Jonathan Shorman is The Kansas City Stars lead political reporter, covering Kansas and Missouri politics and government. Even Buttigieg's reference to a $12,500 discount for people buying a new electric vehicle is ridiculous -- the average price difference between a new E.V. And while it is also possible in the future for EVs to result in a higher demand for electricity, which could cause prices to rise, presently there are not enough EVs being used to affect electricity prices. Altogether, the project is receiving more than $1 billion in local and state incentives. Twitter users again slammed Buttigieg for using Americans struggles to pay for gas to push for green policies. And I think we're going to have a lot to be proud of when we look at how America ultimately leads the way into this EV future.". Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA) used the opportunity to press Buttigieg over the high cost of electric vehicles, which he noted are higher than the cost of an average compact car. It is possible, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA): "When the prices of competing fuels rise relative to the price of natural gas, switching from those fuels to natural gas may increase natural gas demand and prices.". (Photo by GEOFF ROBINS/AFP via Getty Images). He said the move to "homegrown clean energy" is a long-term goal. Sign up now to get the Washington Examiners breaking news and timely commentary delivered right to your inbox. Electricity in the United States is produced mostly through natural gas (around 40%), followed by coal at around 19%. In an interview with MSNBC on Nov. 28, Buttigieg said that families that buy electric vehicles (EVs) "never have to worry about gas prices again.". EV Tax Credits in Bidens Build Back Better Act Will Help Sell More Cars than New Chargers in Infrastructure Bill. CNBC, 19 Nov. 2021, https://www.cnbc.com/2021/11/19/ev-tax-credits-in-bidens-build-back-better-act-will-help-sell-more-cars-than-new-chargers.html. - $4,000 base for qualified EVs Last month, we announced a $5 billion investment to build out a nationwide electric vehicle charging network, so that people from rural to suburban to urban communities can all benefit from the gas savings of driving an EV., Buttigieg says you dont have to worry about gas prices if you buy an electric vehiclesomeone should remind him how out of touch he sounds pic.twitter.com/tiJVkl7wB3, Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) March 7, 2022. But the appeal of EVs goes beyond fuel efficiency. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Ford bought the property a few years ago and is now almost finished with a complete restoration project that will turn the building and its surrounding structures into a campus Ford says will be the headquarters of its electric (and automated) vehicle division. In addition, they require the use of raw materials like cobalt and lithium for their batteries that could lead to a greater dependence on Russia and China for imported materials. True Cost of Electric Vehicles. Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., asked. They want to make it political. Transportation fuel or gasoline is primarily made from petroleum which generated less than one percent of U.S. electricity in 2020. Buttigieg, appearing to respond to. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg stressed in a new interview that families who buy electric vehicles (EVs) "never have to worry about gas prices again." Breslin, Maureen. That said, I'm struck by this $55,000 number that keeps going around, Buttigieg said. "Factors Affecting Natural Gas Prices." And at the moment, EV production is heavily dependent on a different foreign input: batteries, the vast majority of which come from China, Japan and South Korea a point that Greene, among others, has raised as a reason to stop supporting EVs. And although GM has discontinued the Volt, that same plant now manufactures other vehicles from GMs new, quickly expanding all-electric line which, just this past January, GM announced would lead to the creation of, Still, a growth industry is a growth industry, and its impossible to look around Michigan and not see the impact. Just looking at Kelley Blue Book, the price of an EV is about $55,000, he added. All smiles, Buttigieg claimed, "Were for cutting the cost of electric vehicles, because when you have an electric vehicle then youre also gonna be able to save on gas, but youve got to be able to afford it in the first place. electricity." 1995 - 2023 by Snopes Media Group Inc. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. Higher fuel prices, in turn, may result in higher costs to generate electricity. The mission of the Media Research Center is to document and combat the falsehoods and censorship of the news media, entertainment media and Big Tech in order to defend and preserve America's founding principles and Judeo-Christian values. This article is part of HuffPosts biweekly politics newsletter. Pete Buttigieg offers an optimistic price comparison The transportation secretary had received criticism for suggesting that Americans who are hurting from gas prices switch to electric. This is a clear attempt to use a crisis for political benefit, and it is made worse by the fact that the crisis itself was largely caused by the Biden administration. "The cruelty is the point," Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, tweeted. By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. There are all sorts of projections out there, each with different assumptions built into them. We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg speaks during the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), in Glasgow, Scotland, Britain, November 10, 2021. 27 Feb 2023 Washington, DC 32. HuffPost's top politics stories, straight to your inbox. The topic soon turned to gas prices, which reached record levels in June. On Date July 19, 2022 Buttigieg gets SCHOOLED by off-the-grid Congressman on electric vehicles Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) to Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg at a hearing on. When the time comes, Democrats will learn exactly how Americans feel about them at the polls. Buttigieg thinks electric cars can be a boon to both rural and urban families that currently spend a significant amount of money on gas. ", Buttigieg continued, "Now were actually starting to see on some models, the cost come to where, even if your car payments a little higher, your gas payment will be a little lower and you come out ahead.". disturbing history of anti-LGBTQ rhetoric. Although Buttigieg boasted that electric vehicles could be cheaper for U.S. citizens than paying for gas, average prices for them were reported around $50,000. Critics heaped scorn upon a clip showing Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg excitedly talking about the prospect of "most Americans" switching to electric vehicles due to high gas prices. (Though the Leaf continues to qualify for the federal electric vehicle incentive, the Bolt does not.). News, Politics, Culture, and more in realtime. Story tips can be sent to lindsay.kornick@fox.com and on Twitter: @lmkornick. "Danny began the pilgrimage that would consume the remainder of his days -- pressing to know Jesus Christ and His death and resurrection.". At todays hearing, he told me the White Houses logic was the more pain Americans felt, the better for electric vehicles, Gimenez added. That means the company could receive $500 million from Kansas taxpayers for building its $4 billion plant. The Inflation Reduction Act, the spending bill that Biden signed over the summer, included new tax credits for people who purchase EVs as well as businesses that open up charging stations. I literally dont even understand what that means, Buttigieg replied. out there, each with different assumptions built into them. During the short clip, which was taken from a Thursday interview between the government official and radio show BigBoyTV, Buttigieg discussed how the U.S. government is looking to cut the cost of. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg suggested that Americans worried about increasing gasoline prices should purchase electric vehicles to save money. Buttigieg was among a host of officials who descended upon the old Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant in western Johnson County to survey the vast field of dirt where the $4 billion plant that is expected to employ 4,000 people will one day stand. The only rival, really, was the 2015 Volt it replaced when its lease ran out. Harry and Meghan Get Bad News About Their Family's Status from the King: Report, Are We Witnessing the Collapse of Wokeism? On the contrary, the list of Republican officials who have attacked the Biden administrations EV agenda in similar terms is long and includes everybody from Florida Sen. Rick Scott to Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw. Part of the incentives policy is not new, the 2019 study noted: In all states of the U.S. buyers of [EVs] receive a federal tax credit of up to $7,500 when they purchase an eligible vehicle.. Our transportation sector has reached a turning point, Harris said. One quote of his was picked up by numerous critics, including conservatives, who accused him of being out of touch. A Texas man discovered a photo from the day of President John F. Kennedy's assassination in a classic rock record. U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg speaks to the news media during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S., November 8, 2021. Pete Buttigieg slams Elon Musk's criticism of Biden's EV agenda: 'We believe in the benefits of union jobs' . And its not just Michigan where EVs have potential to create jobs or anchor growth. In November 2021, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg generated controversy by saying that using electric vehicles would allay concerns families have over rising gas prices. Sec. Were in a different chapter right now., By JULIE CARR SMYTH During an interview on Fox News Sunday, Baier asked Buttigieg why Tesla CEO. Get the latest news delivered right to your email. You dont want to give away the store, but you do want to make sure youre competitive, he said. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was once again blasted for pushing for electric vehicles on Tuesday, this time for saying, "The more pain" Americans feel at the pump, "the more benefit there is for" EV owners. In an appearance Tuesday on Fox News, host Neil Cavuto asked Buttigieg what he thought of the comment. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, You know, to be honest, there are other members of Congress that I pay more attention to when Im thinking about opinions that really matter or ideas that are going to be critical to engage with., Transportation Sec. The U.S. electric vehicle market is expected to grow from $28 billion in 2021 to $137 billion in 2028, according to a Fortune Business Insights report published last July. You also agree to our. He has five years of writing experience with various outlets and enjoys covering politics and sports. Penney, Veronica. Part of HuffPost Politics. And it seems to be working: In just the last few weeks, following the IRAs enactment, a slew of major battery manufacturers and car companies have announced they are opening new plants in the U.S. One other reason I feel good about my car is that I live in Michigan and it was built at GMs Hamtramck plant, which is smack in the middle of Detroit. Panasonic electric . Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand. An even larger majority (67%) said they were unlikely ever to buy one. "I think thats what I heard you say. Buttigieg and other officials arrived at the Panasonic site after Buttigieg participated in a ribbon-cutting event at the new Kansas City International Airport terminal, which will open to the public on Tuesday. The average price of a new compact SUV was $35,021, while the average new sports car cost $39,880. Legal Statement. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg sits inside a fuel cell powered car at the Toyota boothat the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan on September 14, 2022. Other critics argued that Buttigiegs approach did not, in fact mean families would never have to worry about gas prices again, or that they would end up having to worry about electricity prices instead. In July, she complained that woke training in the U.S. military meant that toxic masculinity is completely not accepted anymore, when I would think toxic masculinity would be a No. Yeah, thats what I heard you say, the lawmaker insisted. The Georgia Republican accused the transportation secretary of trying to emasculate the way we drive by supporting electric cars. High . Wayland, Michael. ", NO MORE PARIAH STATE AS BIDEN SEEKS HELP FROM THE SAUDIS AS GAS PRICES SKYROCKET, DEARBORN, MI. Jenn, A., Lee, J., Hardman, S., & Tal, G. "An Examination of the Impact That Electric Vehicle Incentives Have on Consumer Purchase Decisions Over Time." Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. In response, Mr Buttigieg argued that "nobody I know, certainly not me, thinks that all or even most Americans can easily afford. Snopes and the Snopes.com logo are registered service marks of Snopes.com, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said families that buy electric vehicles (EVs) will "never have to worry about gas prices again. Buttigieg sat down with WMBD's Matt Sheehan for a one-on-one interview on the future of electric vehicles, and a new program the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has launched to try to . Greene has been critical of this effort from the get-go, and in February posted a, calling the Biden plan which, at that point, was still under discussion a one way ticket to hell.. Lauren DeCicca / Getty Images; Justin Sullivan / Getty Images. Be added if the vehicle was assembled with domestic union labor higher prices a! Pete Buttigieg SLAMMED for TELLING Americans to SWITCH to electric cars taxpayers for building its $ 4 billion plant covering... Leaf continues to qualify for the invasion heard you say, the Bolt does not. ) ( 67 )... 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