High Gas Prices Will ‘Benefit’ Those Who Access EVs, Buttigieg Says

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg touted the benefits of electric vehicles as a solution to higher gasoline prices during a July 19 House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing.

In an exchange with Rep. Carlos Giménez (R-Fla.), Buttigieg reiterated his position that the elevated cost of gasoline will create a greater benefit for consumers who are able to purchase electric cars (EV).

“The more pain we are all experiencing from the high price of gas, the more benefit there is for those who can access electric vehicles,” he said.

When asked to clarify that remark, Buttigieg purported that “we could have no pain at all by making EVs cheaper for everybody.”

The former presidential candidate is championing a White House proposal that the U.S. government subsidize the purchase price of electric vehicles to make them cheaper for consumers.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks with SemaConnect CEO Mahi Reddy at the Prince George’s County Brandywine Maintenance Facility during a visit to announce the Biden administration’s Electric Vehicle Charging Action Plan, in Brandywine, Md., on Dec. 13, 2021. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

Under the president’s Build Back Better plan, EV buyers would receive a $7,500 tax credit to buy a plug-in electric vehicle and up to $12,500 for union-made U.S. electric automobiles.

Electric car makers have been advocating for these types of incentives, warning the industry could fail to reach the administration’s goal to push auto sales to 50 percent electric by 2030. But Republicans assert that this proposal mainly benefits only the wealthy, citing Grist data indicating that 78 percent of EV tax credits were claimed by individuals earning more than $100,000 per year.

In recent months, Buttigieg has been making the case that drivers can avoid the high cost of gas by switching to electric automobiles, claiming that they would “never have to worry about gas prices