In light of the Democrats’ ongoing agenda to push electric vehicles through government regulation, Transportation Secretary Petet Buttigieg claimed that Americans will no longer drive traditional gas-powered cars in the coming decades. Buttigieg predicted “that Americans in 2050 are still going to be driving that old technology, that combustion technology that we inherited from the 20th century.”
The Transportation Secretary pointed out that the presence of EVs on the car market has drastically increased over the past few years. However, EV adoption among consumers has significantly tapered over the past year, drawing questions about the current viability of the industry. “[T]he share of EVs has been dramatically increasing every single year, and that’s continuing. Now, our goal is, by the end of this decade, to be about half-and-half. We think that that can and will happen,” he said.
Buttiegieg continued pushing the United States to compete with EV adoption on the global stage, particularly with countries such as China. He further suggests that, despite concerns over job losses in the existing automobile industry due to EV production, electric vehicles will be a catalyst for economic activity in America.
“But what isn’t guaranteed is, first of all, is that EV revolution going to continue to be made in America? During the Trump administration, China really built a major advantage on EVs. But as somebody who comes from the industrial Midwest, sees how the auto industry creates so much by way of livelihoods where I come from and really around the country, I’m much more excited about the jobs being created on U.S. soil, and that doesn’t just happen. We’ve got to make sure that the U.S. leads the way as this technology changes.”
The transportation head continued expounding upon the purported benefits that EVs offer consumers, touting the supposed economic advantages of owning battery-powered cars. Buttigieg alleges that he doesn’t know anyone who wants to return to a gas-powered engine after owning an EV.
“I don’t know a lot of people who think that Americans in 2050 are still going to be driving that old technology, that combustion technology that we inherited from the 20th century. Well, no, you’re not going to meet a lot of people who ever go back after they’ve got electric, and I think that really tells you something. That shows you that the lower maintenance, the fact that it costs less to maintain, the fact that they break down [with] less frequency, and the cost savings that you get by not having to buy gas or diesel are I think why you almost never meet somebody who has an EV who says, I want to back to the old technology,” he said.
Buttigieg’s portrayal of the EV agenda comes from a much different angle than the complaints of conservatives. While the transportation secretary paints an optimistic outlook for EVs in the distant future, former President Donald Trump recently addressed the contemporary complaints, such as the feeling of being coerced into buying one through regulation or the underdeveloped infrastructure for the vehicles.
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