More Ridiculous Electric Vehicle Advice

Electric vehicles have become idols to the climate-obsessed left. It seems like the left views buying an electric vehicle as the answer to everything. Having trouble with the ladies? Buy an electric vehicle. Can’t get that cornbread recipe just right? Buy an electric vehicle. You name the issue, and it seems like electric vehicles are the solution in the eyes of the left.

We’ve seen the Biden administration hype electric vehicles as the thing that will save the planet and tame inflation. In their worldview, it’s so simple — almost flippantly so. Witness Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg pushing EVs back in March as the solution to gas prices:

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

But who knows when this nationwide network of electric charging stations will actually come online? And let’s not forget the biggest elephant in the garage where your EV is supposed to be: the cost of electric vehicles.

A July article from Electrek reports that electric vehicle prices have tracked up 13% over last year, to the tune of an average cost of $66,000. That’s about $18,000 higher than a gas-powered car or truck. Moreover, Electrek points out that “electric pickups are likely going to represent a significant portion of EV sales in the United States in the next few years, and that should push the average higher.”

That’s a lot of money. Plenty of people in this country can’t afford to throw down that kind of money for a vehicle, and there are others who simply don’t want a new car. Why should anyone have to purchase something they can’t afford or don’t want?

The other concern that many consumers have about electric vehicles is their range. If a family is traveling, making extra stops to charge a vehicle for Lord-knows-how-long just isn’t practical. But don’t worry: there’s a solution. And it’s as ridiculous as “just buy an EV.”

Author Edward Niedermeyer penned an op-ed at the New York Times on Saturday with the provocative headline, “You Want an Electric Car With a 300-Mile Range? When Was the Last Time You Drove 300 Miles?” Naturally, the gut answer to this question is, “None of your business,” but he makes a fascinating point that “A serious electrification policy will have to be tailored to the way we actually drive, not the way we think we do.”

But where Niedermeyer loses the plot is when he suggests not just that consumers buy an EV, but that they consider purchasing multiple vehicles.

For some American households that may mean owning a single plug-in hybrid. For others that may mean a 150-mile E.V. for weekday miles and a hybrid truck for weekend projects and outdoor activities. Still other households might be able to serve their mobility needs with a mix of e-bikes, public transit and an occasional rental car. ‌All‌ of these options ‌are better at delivering short- and medium-term fleet electrification in an era of battery scarcity than simply waiting for batteries to become cheap enough for every American to own a 300-plus- mile E.V.

In other words, if you need to travel but your EV won’t get you where you need to go, too bad. You’ll just have to rent something to drive to the beach or have a second car for longer trips. This idea clearly doesn’t take into account the added costs not just of a second car payment but also increased insurance and maintenance costs for adding more cars to the garage.

A multiple-vehicle strategy is something that only a member of the coastal elite would think makes sense — especially since “a mix of e-bikes, public transit and an occasional rental car” is absolutely infeasible for probably the vast majority of the American population.

But remember, when it comes to EVs, it’s so simple! In the eyes of the left, who cares what it costs when you’re not the one footing the bill?