Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg suggested people would not have to worry about rising gas prices if they bought an electrical vehicle.
The national average price for a gallon of gasoline is currently $4.17 — up 10 cents in 24 hours and $1 since March 2021. California holds the heftiest average price tag of $5.44 per gallon.
“Clean transportation can bring significant cost savings for the American people as well,” Buttigieg said at an “Accelerating Clean Transportation” event. “Last month, we announced a $5 billion investment to build a nationwide electric vehicle charging network for the people from rural to suburban to urban communities can all benefit from the gas savings of driving an EV.”
The U.S. oil benchmark, West Texas Intermediate crude futures, pushed $118 Monday, a big increase from the $90 it was at before Russia invaded Ukraine. On Sunday, WTI crude briefly touched $130, the highest level since 2008, adding validation for concerns about global energy shortages given that Russia is one of the world’s largest producers of oil.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki was pressed about the rising gas prices and the potential of increasing U.S. oil production during a news conference Monday.
Doocy: “[G]as prices are approaching an all-time high…How high would they have to get before…Biden would say, ‘I’m going set aside my ambitious climate goals &…increase domestic…production, get the producers to drill more…& we can address the fossil fuel future later?” pic.twitter.com/sW4pCP5fHA
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) March 7, 2022
Psaki compared current oil production in the United States to the amount produced four years ago while reaffirming the Biden administration’s push toward eliminating fossil fuels and implementing an executive order calling for all federal vehicles to be electric by 2035 and completely emissions-free by 2050.
“But if we are looking to the future and what we can do to prevent this from being a challenge in future crises, the best thing we can do is reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and foreign oil because that will help us have a reliable source of energy so that we’re not worrying about gas prices going up because of the whims of a foreign dictator,” Psaki said.
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Despite consumer survey reports indicating that electric vehicles are too expensive and that concerns exist about range and charging availability, Kelley Blue Book announced electric vehicle sales hit a new record high to close out 2021.
“Nearly 1.5 million electrified vehicles, the combined total of EVs, hybrids and plug-in hybrids, were sold in the United States last year,” Kelley Blue Book said. “Electrified vehicle sales accounted for 9.7% of all sales in 2021, and in the fourth quarter, 11.8% of sales were electrified.
The average cost of electric vehicles was $56,437 in November 2021, according to Kelley Blue Book, jumping 6.2% from the same month last year.
AAA driving costs research showed that people spend 130% more on gas than they would if driving an electric vehicle. It also found that electric vehicle maintenance costs $330 less than a gas-powered car, a total of $949/annually. Despite the savings, the research showed that the purchase price could offset other reduced costs.
“Owning a new, compact electric vehicle was only slightly more expensive, about $600 annually, than its gas-powered counterpart,” AAA stated.
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Electric vehicles are also popular due to their understood smaller footprint on the environment, though electric grids continue to be powered by fossil fuels that give off greenhouse gas emissions.
