It is no surprise that EV sales are stalling overall and remain particularly weak among Blacks
Biden says it's electric vehicles, or bust
A new government EV rule will give consumers and carmarkers little choice.
Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg has repeatedly labeled several highways and even underpasses as racist – but turns a blind eye to the Biden administration’s electric vehicle (EV) agenda, which is actually deserving of the title.
As team Biden pushes EVs via numerous mandates and subsidies, most recently with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s ultra-stringent vehicle emissions rule, they must know that it threatens Black families struggling to reach the middle class.
The disproportionate burdens of EVs are hard to ignore, and the higher sticker price isn’t the only thing dissuading Black families from going electric. One-third of Americans live in single-vehicle households, and this includes many lower-income Blacks.
President Biden shakes hands with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg during an event at the White House on June 25, 2021. ( Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
An EV simply does not work as a family’s only vehicle, given the range limitations and long charging times – not to mention the fact that many Black families live in urban environments where street and lot parking is the norm. No amount of marketing for EV subsidies can entice willing buyers in these neighborhoods either.
STOP CHINESE EVS BEFORE THEY DESTROY OUR AUTO INDUSTRY
Studies show affluent Americans making $100,000 annually benefit the most from taxpayer-subsidized EV credits. Little wonder that 90% of EVs are part of wealthier, less multi-vehicle suburban households.
The list goes on regarding how EVs do not match the needs of Black families. For example, many government assistance programs have strict asset limits that would be violated by owning an EV, even a relatively cheaper one.
For these and other reasons, it is no surprise that EV sales are stalling overall and remain particularly weak among Blacks. It is also no surprise why the Black community never asked for the EV agenda.
Perhaps that’s also why Biden’s EV proponents sometimes change the subject to public transportation as the answer for Black communities, but that is just as out of touch as the EV agenda. Ask any Black mom how feasible it is to use the bus for shuttling kids to after-school activities, medical appointments, and the like. Public transportation, like EVs, is not in step with the real needs of many such households.
THE DIRTY TRUTH ABOUT BIDEN'S ELECTRIC FUTURE
Maybe the Biden administration should try finding out what the Black community actually wants rather than just dictating to them.
The EV/public transportation agenda is troublesome enough, but it is made worse by being pursued in tandem with measures that seek to drive up both the price of gasoline and gasoline-powered vehicles.
It is worth noting that many low-income Blacks live in neighborhoods far from the more economically vibrant parts of town or the suburbs where the best career opportunities are located. And public transportation can only take you to a fraction of the jobs available compared to those who own a car.
In other words, Blacks and others seeking to move up the economic ladder need affordable gasoline-powered vehicles even more than Americans in general, and thus they are the biggest victims of the Biden administration’s war on EVs.
Sadly, this is all part of the Left’s long history of doing more harm than good for the Black community. From welfare programs tailored to encourage government dependence and fracture families, to defunding the police for the very people who want more police, to locking kids into failing public schools, the results are always the same.
And now, it is a Biden administration agenda that jeopardizes personal mobility for those who need it most.
Donna Jackson is director of membership development for Project 21 Black Leadership Network and serves on the advisory board for the Center for Energy and Conservation at Independent Women's Forum.
