Experts challenge Pete Buttigieg’s comments on EVs: ‘con job’

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s recent comments suggest that electric vehicles (EVs) are cheaper than traditional alternatives, experts told FOX Business.

Buttigieg suggested EVs could be cheaper and more cost-effective to charge than comparable cars with internal combustion engines, Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., said in response to a question during a House hearing Wednesday. During the questioning, Perry noted the high average cost of EVs and asked what the Biden administration plans to do to reduce such costs for American consumers.

Buttigieg told Perry: “I know this is coming, so I put out the latest prices. “A Chevy Bolt, American-made 2022 EV is $26,595. If you want a pickup truck like the Chevy Silverado EV or the Ford F150 Lightning, those start at $39,900 and $39,974, respectively.”

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But what we are seeing now in terms of changing conditions is that we are close to the point and in some models and in certain situations it may already be the case that your car payment will increase. More than just how much your gas bill can go down, including the cost of electricity,” he continued.

However, cheap EVs are still more expensive than comparable traditional cars and have relatively low range, so experts suggest paying more often. For example, the 2022 Chevy Bolt cited by Buttigieg costs $26,595 and has a range of 259 miles, while the traditional-engine 2022 Chevy Spark costs $14,595 and has a range of 297 miles, according to company data.

“Consumers are smart enough to figure this out, even if it’s electric vehicle promoters and people like Secretary Buttigieg who have snow jobs,” Myron Ebel, director of the Competitive Enterprise Institute’s Center for Energy and the Environment, told FOX Business in an interview.

“It’s really kind of a con job,” Ebel said. “It might be a good deal for some people in some places, but overall it’s not good right now.”

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Overall, the average price of an EV was $64,338 and the average price of a compact car was $26,101 in May, according to Kelly Blue Book. With government incentives in place, the average price of EVs can be close to $60,000.

Additionally, the Energy Department reported in January that model year 2021 gasoline vehicles have an average range of 403 miles compared to 2021 EVs with an average range of 234 miles. This means that EV owners must pay to charge their vehicles more frequently than traditional car owners.

“We researched the entire industry — who buys a car, where it’s made, how much it costs, what parts it’s in and what consumers do,” said Patrick Anderson, founder of Michigan-based Anderson Economic Group. (AEG) “Our research shows that many Americans are misinformed about EVs.”

In April, AEG released its annual report analyzing the real-world costs of vehicle ownership compared to gasoline-powered cars. The report found that traditional mid-priced 2021 cars are more cost-effective than mid-priced EVs after accounting for electricity costs, equipment costs, road tax and distance to remote charging stations.

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EVs paid for using residential and regular commercial payment methods cost about $0.50 more per 100 miles than comparable traditional vehicles, the report says. EVs that charge using more expensive commercial charging stations cost about $4 more per 100 miles.

“The first thing that many electric vehicle owners need to realize is that they’re probably going to have to pay both their household utility bills and the cost of commercial chargers,” Anderson told FOX Business. Not understanding is a costly mistake for an AV driver.”

GMC Hummer electric vehicles are seen on the production line at General Motors’ Zero Assembly plant in Detroit, Michigan on November 17, 2021. Emily Elconin/Bloomberg via Getty Images (Fox News)

Andersen added that AEG research shows that 78 percent of electric vehicles are luxury vehicles, and the majority of EV buyers also own traditional vehicles.

“A very large proportion of the electric vehicles are owned by wealthy people and often by wealthy people,” he said, adding that government subsidies for EVs mainly benefit the upper class.

Ebel echoed Anderson, saying EV owners are “freeloading” from federal gas tax money on roads and infrastructure to Americans who own gasoline-powered cars. EV owners are not required to pay a corresponding tax to fund infrastructure.

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Meanwhile, President Biden has pushed hard to expand EV ownership in the US in his efforts to fight climate change. Biden has pledged to ensure that 50% of new car purchases are electric by 2035.

In the year By 2021, EVs will account for 4.6 percent of new car sales in the U.S., according to a May report from the International Energy Agency.