Posted on 10/31/2022 11:35:07 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
WASHINGTON (AP) — Heading into next week’s midterm elections, many Republican candidates are seeking to capitalize on voters’ concerns about inflation by vilifying a key component of President Joe Biden’s climate agenda: electric vehicles.
On social media, in political ads and at campaign rallies, Republicans say Democrats’ push for battery-powered transportation will leave Americans broke, stranded on the road and even in the dark. Many of the attack lines are not true — the auto industry itself has largely embraced a shift to EVs, for instance, and some Republican lawmakers are quick to cheer the opening of EV battery plants in the U.S. that promise new jobs.
But political analysts say the GOP messaging exploits voter hesitancy on EVs that may have put Democrats on the defensive at a time when Americans are especially feeling a financial pinch. EVs cost $65,000 on average, a fact GOP candidates cite.
More than two-thirds of Americans say they are unlikely to purchase an electric vehicle in the next three years, according to a new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Democrats are twice as likely to say they plan to purchase one as Republicans, 37% to 16%, respectively.
“There’s still lots of selling to do before EVs catch on with the American people,” said Jim Manley, a Democratic strategist and longtime staffer to the late Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. He described early Democratic messaging suggesting that EVs were an immediate solution to rising gasoline prices as a mistake. “That creates an opening for Republicans in this election, which begins and ends with the economy and inflation.”
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...
And there it is. One of the many problems with the Democrat mindset. They have to "sell the idea" - not that it's a bad idea (EVs are the epitome of bad ideas when it comes to individual transportation) but that the dumb serfs just have to have it explained to them so that they can see the wisdom of their (self-anointed) betters. Democrats never let go of a bad idea from their base theology (Government is their god - the bigger and more intrusive the government the better) no matter badly their ideas fail. They always go back to "we just didn't go far enough." if you do something dumb (and virtually all Democrat ideas ae dumb) Then doing ten times as much of it will somehow magically turn it around it it will work the way it was said to work.
EV's are Another Democrat "don't believe your lying eyes - trust us we know what's best." idea.
Most journos don’t make much more than minimum wage. They might afford a 15 year old Corolla with 200,000 miles. Good luck buying an EV, chumps!
spending an extra $30-$40 kilobucks for a car that’ll allow them to save around $10k or so on gas, followed by an additional $30k or so cost for replacement batters in a few years (if those batteries are available at all).
This, especially replacing the battery. Even if the rest of the vehicle is still usable it will be junk. You can get Model T parts.
EV’s are a niche.. period... trying to force them to be mainstream is ludicrous at the moment. Someday?? perhaps, today? Not remotely.
As a commuter vehicle, fine.. as a general purpose solution to transportation? Not remotely acceptable.
Claims they are “better for the earth” are dubious at best as well, but that’s a whole other discussion.
Hold a conference on electric vehicles among experts. They are all required to drive to it. Enjoy the absurdities.
EVs that rely on a rechargeable battery for power are at best a niche vehicle, unsuited to the wider range so easily navigated by vehicles with internal combustion engines. As an alternative to plug-in EVs with an array of batteries, the hybrid is for most purposes a much better choice. Using an on-board generation system, and dividing the motive power between the internal combustion engine and the electric power units, while using a battery array to both store power and to provide extra boost during moments of high power demand, and also as a reservoir of power resulting from regenerative braking, was actually a very elegant engineering achievement. Not tied to a charging station with sometimes very lengthy recharging periods, these hybrids have vastly more mobility than an EV that relies only on a plug-in battery recharging system. And WAY more range between stops to load up on more fuel.
My personal vehicle is a Chrysler Pacifica, NOT a hybrid, that gets consistently more than 22-25 mpg in local driving, and as much as 31 mpg on steady driving on the Interstate, averaging about 70 mph. The trick is to go light on the throttle, and use cruise control at every opportunity.
“will leave Americans broke, stranded on the road and even in the dark. Many of the attack lines are not true”
Everyone of those things is already provably false. They are already happening.
“Many of the attack lines are not true”.
Yes absolutely they are true... And obvious as hell. Only an total idiot can’t see the problems coming.
bingo!
it is going to be ‘shut up and get on the bus’
has anyone talked about the necessary grid upgrade to replace the existing gas cars with electric?
they only talk about adding charging stations as if that solves the problem
how about how expensive electricity will be when they go ‘green’?
you may be able to afford the car but not to charge it when your electricity bill rivals your mortgage/rent for your largest monthly bill
Liberals like Biden would love it if most would gravitate to mass transportation. That's just not feasible in many places.
They don’t do the math. Average price of a new gas car $44,400. Average cost of a new EV $65,000 Avg gas mileage of the US car fleet in 2021 was 36mpg according to pete Buttplug. SO how many miles can you get with the money difference between a virtue signally EV and a much more practical ICE $65000 - $44,400 = $15,600 say the price of gas goes to $8.00 per gallon which is low for what the Democrats are trying for so $15,600/$8/gal = 1950 gal. 1950gal *36 mile/gal = 70,200 miles for free if you get a gas car as opposed to an EV. not counting that electricity to power an EV is not free
If there is an apartment building with parking below, an EV catching fire could result in deaths of tenants.
“The article went on to suggest that maybe some legislation would be appropriate, to assure all renters have easy access for charging up.”
I fail to see how any legislation could solve the problem of providing EV charging for existing apartment complexes. The problems are physical, security, the expense of running cable to remote sites.
New construction could incorporate EV charging into their design, but requiring retrofit of existing complexes is a fool’s errand. Which never has stopped California government before so it will probably happen.
it is never the sucky policies
it is always the messaging on the sucky policies
that is to blame
Love how the writer cites the AVERAGE price of electric vehicles is $65k as a throw away.
Over 5 years at 0% interest that’s an $1,100/mo payment, not including insurance or charging costs [which now is more than gas]. So figure $1,800.00/mo for that new electric car. A house payment. A month’s rent. And no range, towing power, and replace the battery after 100k miles at 1/2 the cost of another new car.
Obviously that has NOTHING to do with the lack of interest in electric.
Kalifornia just announced that there will be no more diesel or gas trucks in Kalifornia after 2040. The latest EV truck review below does not bode well for the future. Also, they do not mention that the fast charging damages the life of the battery. No Worries. No doubt Pelousy and her kin will legislate that all the democRATS have enough energy for all their needs, including ice cream freezers.
Review of Ford F-150 Lightning Electric Pickup
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4104830/posts
Simple answer as a landlord...NO. The property is no longer available as a rental. The costs to provide the "easy access for charging up" would never be recovered in the rental costs. My 1947 vintage house doesn't have access from the power company for sufficient power for a charging station. The above ground power infrastructure isn't there. In my own neighborhood, the same is true, but complicated by having all the electrical infrastructure below ground. Tearing up the streets is not a desirable path to this stupidity.
not to mention the grid upgrade needed for when the tenants are all charging
reminds me of college
if someone plugged in a hotplate
the whole floor would go dark
oh boy this is going to be fun
If it’s a stupid idea you can almost guarantee California will be the first to mandate it. They are halfway there already:
https://www.greenlancer.com/post/right-to-charge-laws
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