Republicans sparred with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg over the cost of electric vehicles on Tuesday as some members of the House Transportation Committee accused him of favoring the vehicles as the response to high gas costs.
The exchange came Tuesday when Buttigieg appeared before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to testify about the administration’s progress in implementing the bipartisan infrastructure law.
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.
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Perry told Buttigieg that drivers in his district are “paying about 80% more for gasoline” than they were before President Joe Biden’s inauguration, when fuel prices stood at just $2.39 per gallon, according to AAA.
“I think it’s fair to say that even you have implied that [consumers] should buy an electric vehicle and absolve themselves” of that cost, Perry told Buttigieg. “Just looking at Kelley Blue Book, the price of an EV is about $55,000,” he added.
Buttigieg responded: “First of all, I want to be clear, nobody I know, certainly not me, thinks that all, or even most Americans, can easily afford electric vehicles.”
“That said, I’m struck by this $55,000 number that keeps going around,” Buttigieg said.
“I knew this might come up, so I just pulled a few of the latest prices: A Chevy Bolt, so an American-made, 2022 EV, is $26,595,” he told Perry.
“If you want a pickup truck, like a Chevy Silverado EV or Ford F-150 Lightning, the starting prices of those are $39,930 [and] $39,974, respectively,” he said.
.@RepScottPerry: “Just looking at Kelley Blue Book the price of a EV is about $55,000…”@SecretaryPete: “I’m struck by this $55,000 number that keeps going around. I knew this might come up so I just pulled a few of the latest prices…a Chevy Volt…is $26,595…” pic.twitter.com/yNC2A0KlOY
— CSPAN (@cspan) July 19, 2022
The Chevy Bolt lineup received a massive price cut last month, dropping from $31,000 to $25,600.
That puts it below the average consumer price of the Nissan Leaf, which was previously the cheapest electric vehicle on the market. (Though the Leaf continues to qualify for the federal electric vehicle incentive, the Bolt does not.)
Industry officials have acknowledged that while EVs may save drivers money over time, their high upfront costs put them out of reach for many drivers in the United States. According to the Kelley Blue Book number cited by Perry, the average cost of an electric vehicle stands at $56,437 — roughly $10,000 more than the industry average.
However, the lower-cost models, such as the ones mentioned by Buttigieg, offer a comparably more affordable option for some drivers looking to make the switch.
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During the hearing Tuesday, Buttigieg also said Transportation Department officials are working with the Department of Energy to help better source some of the elements that go into electric vehicle batteries, the vast majority of which are produced in China.
“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.”
