newYou can now listen to Fox News articles.
Last year, President Biden’s Environmental Protection Agency proposed cutting new vehicle emissions by 56% by 2032. The goal, of course, was to force automakers, and by extension the American public, to adopt electric vehicles at a breakneck pace. President Biden had wanted a 60% cut. Proportion of new cars produced as electric vehicles by 2030.
But then reality set in. Ford, General Motors, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Jaguar, Land Rover, Aston Martin, these companies are all actually scaling back their EV launches, and the Biden administration is starting to pump the brakes.
The Environmental Protection Agency recently announced new tailpipe emissions rules that will delay the original schedule. EPA’s revised standards respond to an undeniable trend. EV production and sales are slowing as Americans realize not only the high cost but also the dirty truth behind this “clean” alternative to traditional cars.
The Biden administration says that thanks to electric vehicles, “the future of America’s transportation is on a path to be cleaner, safer, more affordable, and more reliable than ever before.”
For more FOX News opinions, click here
However, producing EV batteries requires large amounts of electricity, typically produced by generators that burn fossil fuels. Manufacturing EVs produces at least 60% more carbon emissions than gasoline cars. EVs start life with carbon debt.
Additionally, the extra weight of a heavy battery will quickly wear out the EV’s tires while driving. This means that EVs are not “emission-free”. In fact, one study found that electric cars emit about a quarter more particulate matter than hybrid cars due to their increased weight.
California EV sales drop for the first time in 10 years
Administration activists aren’t just wrong about the environmental benefits of EVs. They are also wrong about their performance. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said, “We recognize the advantages of EVs, not just in terms of climate, but in terms of performance.”
But we’ve all heard the news about EVs breaking down this winter. Freezing and high temperatures drain batteries, reduce range, and leave stranded drivers helpless. Even in normal weather, EVs experience problems. A Consumer Reports study found that new EVs have 79% more problems than internal combustion vehicles.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg looks on as President Joe Biden speaks announcing new aviation regulations in Southcote Auditorium on the White House campus on May 8, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) (Getty Images)
These performance issues also raise safety issues. In January, the Midwest Highway Safety Facility at the University of Nebraska, my alma mater, conducted an EV crash test. They found that when an EV hits a roadside fence, the impact is 20 to 50 percent greater. Because EVs are heavier, they suffer more damage in the event of an accident than comparable gasoline-powered vehicles.
The government is wrong to say that EVs are better for the environment. Also wrong about their performance. What about the argument that vehicle electrification will advance America’s energy independence?
President Biden said earlier this year that “to strengthen our long-term economic security, now is the time to aggressively invest in electric vehicle and battery production.”
He cited the fact that 75% of EV battery manufacturing is done in China. In his words, “China controls almost half of the world’s production of some battery components and critical materials.”
President Biden’s logic is deeply flawed. Forcing the introduction of electric vehicles now will only increase China’s dominance in sourcing and manufacturing. A senior researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology acknowledged that “we will continue to rely on China for many years” when it comes to EVs.
These so-called “clean” cars also use dirty manufacturing methods, including child labor and hazardous working conditions.
The Biden administration is sending millions of dollars to Congo to support cobalt mining for EV batteries. A few years ago, human rights groups investigated Congo’s mining sector. They discover that it is full of young children working in hand-dug tunnels, which frequently collapse, burying the children alive. One Congolese mining expert said it best: “How can you base a green revolution on destroying the Congolese environment and exploiting Congolese workers?”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
If the Biden administration continues to push the adoption of electric vehicles as rapidly as it is now, environmental, performance, and human rights issues will remain unresolved. That’s the danger of government mandates. Consumer choice cannot force manufacturers to do what is best for the American people. If the market, rather than the federal government, determines adoption rates, there will be more time to address these issues.
The administration has spearheaded a reckless push toward an electric vehicle future, with many negative consequences. If they had any integrity, they would come clean about the dirty truth, including EV’s record of environmental problems, safety risks, and human rights abuses. And if they have the right judgment, they will put the brakes on this climate movement and let the market take its course.
Republican Deb Fischer is the senior U.S. senator from Nebraska.
