House votes to block EV mandate

The House of Representatives Wednesday passed legislation aimed at blocking Biden administration mandates that would force Americans to purchase electric vehicles (EVs).

New rules proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in April would require that two out of every three cars in the US be electric by 2032. While the EPA cannot legally set quotas for car manufacturers, the rules set such tight emissions standards that to comply automakers would need to ensure two-thirds of their cars are electric.

But in a 221-197 vote last week — which included five Democrats — House legislators approved the Choice in Automobile Retail Sales Act (CARS). The bill prevents the EPA from “finalizing, implementing, or enforcing a proposed rule with respect to emissions from vehicles, and for other purposes.” The bill will now move to the Senate.

Last month over 4,000 car dealerships signed a letter to Joe Biden protesting the EPA’s rules, citing lack of consumer demand.

"Instead of tying the hands of American car manufacturers and forcing families to purchase vehicles not conducive to their lifestyle and pricing many families out of the market, we should encourage consumer choice,” said Rep. Tim Walberg (R-WI) in a statement. Walberg drafted the bill along with Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-GA). “The passage of the CARS Act is a win for not only the consumer but the entire auto industry, from the workers producing engines in my district to the dealers who can meet the demand for other vehicles. We have to be realistic, and while EVs may play a large role in the future of the auto industry, Washington should not discount other technologies like hydrogen, hybrids, and the internal combustion engine.”

Last year Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda revealed that a “silent majority” of carmakers do not agree with the globalist vision of an electric vehicle-only future but are too afraid to say so. 

"People involved in the auto industry are largely a silent majority," Toyoda told reporters during a recent trip to Thailand. "That silent majority is wondering whether EVs are really OK to have as a single option. But they think it’s the trend so they can’t speak out loudly." 

But globalist governments around the world have pressed on with the climate mandate despite findings that EVs have less range, are more costly, and only become “environmentally friendly” after about 77,000 miles.

Volkswagen revealed in July that its e-Golf needs to be driven 77,000 miles before it outperforms its fuel-powered counterparts in environmental impact. The number tops Volvo’s estimate in 2021 that EVs only become “climate-friendly” between 30,000 and 68,400 miles — or what typically amounts to between four to nine years overall.

According to Volvo’s figures, EVs are 70% more environmentally harmful than internal combustion engine (ICE) cars, largely due to their batteries. EV batteries require intensive cobalt and lithium mining, which is conducted in Africa and South America and causes significant greenhouse gas emissions.

EVs are also in danger of becoming uninsurable as analysts struggle to understand the risks inherent in EV batteries.

Reports of exploding EV batteries following collisions are growing, leading authorities to recommend extra safety measures for EVs. UK government guidelines, for example, require repair shops to “quarantine” EVs that sustain even minor battery damage by separating them from other cars by at least 15 meters. Government officials have proposed requiring wider car spaces for EVs in parking lots due to their risk of combustion, as well as installing thermal monitoring cameras to detect when an EV goes into “thermal runaway.”

Once ignited, EV fires are difficult to extinguish. Reports estimate that 13% of EVs reignite after the initial blaze.

While battery overcharging is said to be one of the causes of combustion, insurance analysts are trying to understand all the triggers that may cause EV batteries to explode. This lack of clarity, combined with high repair costs, leads to higher insurance premiums.

EV battery repair costs are approximately 25% higher than their gas-powered counterparts after rising 33% in the first quarter of 2023, reports The Telegraph. This, in turn, has led to a 72% jump in average EV insurance costs compared with 29% for gas vehicles. Some EV owners are receiving insurance quotes of over $120 per week, while others are receiving quotes double or even triple the year before.

Other car insurers have stopped insuring EVs altogether. John Lewis Financial Services stopped offering insurance for EVs in September, and Aviva only recently restored insurance products for the Tesla Model Y after canceling them earlier this year.

“The battery is an extremely expensive component of an electric vehicle and until we find efficient ways of dealing with it we have the challenge of high premiums for electric vehicles, which nobody wants,” said Thatcham Research CEO Jonathan Hewett.

High insurance premiums are only the latest factor making EVs a costly endeavor.

Analyses show that because electric cars require so much electricity, EV owners are likely to pay more per mile than gas vehicle owners. For a Kia e-Niro, for instance, the UK’s best-selling affordable electric car, a full recharge can cost about £54 ($69). On a battery offering an average range of 230 miles, this amounts to 23 pence ($0.29) per mile. But for a 400-mile-range Ford Puma, last year’s fuel-powered bestseller, a £60 ($76) refueling amounts to only 15 pence ($0.19) per mile.

Similarly, owners of the electric Volkswagen ID 3 may find themselves paying 8 pence ($0.10) more per mile for a full recharge than owners of the gas-powered Volkswagen Golf pay for a full refueling.

In the UK, those who charge their EVs at home are charged a 5% value-added tax (VAT), while those who charge at public stations pay a 20% VAT.

The UK nevertheless plans to outlaw fuel-powered vehicles by 2030.

According to a study published in January,  “[t]ypical mid-priced ICE (internal combustion engine} car drivers paid about $11.29 to fuel their vehicles for 100 miles of driving. . . . That cost was around $0.31 cheaper than the amount paid by mid-priced EV drivers charging mostly at home, and over $3 less than the cost borne by comparable EV drivers charging commercially.”

The cost difference becomes even starker when factoring in EV drivers who need to recharge frequently at charging stations at an estimated cost of $14.40 per 100 miles. EVs become more expensive still considering that many governments seek to charge EV owners additional fees to compensate for lost fuel taxes. 

Israel’s Finance Ministry is considering a travel tax of $0.041 per kilometer for EVs, though the cost may actually be higher. With an average annual travel distance of 16,000 kilometers, EV drivers could expect to pay an extra $656 per year. 

Several US states that pushed for “sustainable” and “environmentally friendly” vehicle alternatives are now imposing additional registration fees on EV owners. Illinois Democrats, for instance, proposed charging EV owners a $1,000 annual registration fee to recoup the loss in gasoline taxes. After intense backlash, however, the Prairie State settled on charging EV owners a $251 annual registration fee, $100 more than their ICE counterparts.

At least 19 states have imposed an extra annual registration fee for EVs ranging from $50 to $235, with Blue states such as Michigan and Georgia at the higher end.