Democrats Keep Citing Out-Of-Reach Electric Vehicles as Gas Price Fix

As U.S. gas prices climb to all-time highs and consumers shell out hundreds more to
fuel
up their vehicles, Democrats keep offering a simple response:
Stop buying gas
and switch to electric vehicles.

A number of Democrats, including
Sen. Debbie Stabenow
(D-MI), have made the case for switching to electric vehicles as a means of avoiding high gas costs, a suggestion Republicans have widely panned as “out of touch” with average consumers, many of whom are struggling with soaring housing costs, high energy bills, and generally rising prices and are not able to pony up the high upfront costs of a new electric car.

Some noted the disparity between the average electric vehicle costs and the
median household income
in Michigan, which stands at $59,234, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

In an interview clip circulated by Republicans on social media
Tuesday
, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm noted high gas prices make a “very compelling case” for drivers to buy electric vehicles.

“If you filled up your EV, and you filled up your gas tank with gasoline, you would save $60 per fill-up [by going electric],” said Granholm, the former governor of Michigan whose net worth is
estimated to be about $8 million.

Stabenow drew ire last week when she said it “doesn’t matter” how high
gas prices
go because she
drives an electric vehicle
.

Speaking during a Senate Finance Committee meeting, Stabenow said of the record-high prices: “I just have to say, on the issue of gas prices, after waiting for a long time to have enough chips in this country to get my electric vehicle, I drove it from Michigan to [Washington, D.C.] this last weekend and went by every single gas station, and it didn’t matter how high it was.” A
video
of her remarks posted by the Republican National Committee to Twitter garnered more than 2 million views.

According to data published this month by Cox Automotive and Kelley Blue Book, the average U.S. driver is now paying nearly $275 a month for gas, a $105 increase from June 2021.

These high prices have forced some to rethink their driving habits,
according to
the National Association for Convenience & Fuel Retailing.

New vehicle costs have also climbed to an all-time high. According to data from Cox Automotive and Moody Analytics, the average payment for a new, fuel-powered car rose to $712 a month in May. Though the analysis doesn’t take electric vehicles into account, monthly electric vehicle payments would be “even worse than that,” Mark Schirmer, the director of public relations at Cox Automotive, said in an interview.

According to Kelley Blue Book, the average cost of an electric vehicle is $56,437, or roughly $10,000 more than the industry average.

According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the median household income is $67,521.

Another factor driving electric vehicle costs up, analysts say, is their limited availability in the U.S.

“The majority of those that are available for sale are sold by luxury brands — and they’re priced that way,” Schirmer said.

“The reality is yes, electric vehicles in total are priced more like luxury vehicles because in a lot of cases, they are luxury vehicles,” he added. “So, they’re significantly higher than the average vehicle cost.”

Meanwhile, no end appears to be in sight for sky-high gas prices. Last month, JPMorgan analysts forecast that the national average could climb as high as $6.20 per gallon by August.

Besides the cost, Schirmer said, the lack of charging infrastructure presents a major obstacle to purchasing an electric vehicle. “No. 1 is price. Biggest hurdle. It’s too expensive,” he said. “And No. 2 is infrastructure. People aren’t comfortable with the available infrastructure to support an EV purchase.”

“When there is an electric vehicle for sale, chances are it’s the brand’s most expensive vehicle as well,” he added. “So it’s tough to say, ‘Oh, everyone in the U.S. should go buy electric cars.’ There’s not many available, and they’re priced more like luxury cars. So that’s a key thing to remember in all this.”

Stabenow has stuck with promoting electric vehicles as a response to high gas prices. Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, she said she is “proud” of her new Chevy Bolt, which she touted as “terrific.”

“As somebody who just bought my first electric vehicle, I’m driving by the pump,” Stabenow said at a recent policy conference in Michigan. “And I won’t tell you the motion I’m making when I drive by.”

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