Sen. Debbie Stabenow, a Democrat from Michigan, suggested to people who are having trouble paying for gas in the midst of all the Building Back Better, “just buy an electric car.” Stabenow used the number of gas stations she passed while traveling by electric vehicle from Michigan to Washington, DC, to support her argument:
Deb Stabenow (D-MI) in the Senate:
Henry Payne, an auto critic for The Detroit News, conducted an analysis of the time and money the senator saved by driving:
Democrats portray buying an electric vehicle as a huge financial bargain (after buying the vehicle of course). The story that reality appears to be telling is different from the one that Stabenow has been relaying:
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Deb is operating at a loss on her “let them eat cake” trip back to Washington once gas prices fall below $4.25 per gallon.
The financial savings Eight dollars:
The Bolt EUV’s maximum battery range, assuming the senator departed from her Lansing home with a full charge, was 247 miles. The Bolt hatchback, which Chevy started selling in late 2016, has a sibling model called the Bolt EUV. The Bolt, the first mass-market EV with a range of more than 200 miles, dethroned the Tesla Model 3 in a competition between compact EVs. Chevy unveiled the Bolt EUV as a higher-riding, more opulent version of its $26,000 Bolt, just as Tesla had added a Model Y crossover to the Model 3.
According to ABRP’s calculations, the Bolt EUV used nearly 200 kWh of energy during her trip, which cost her $80. In Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, Electrify America charging rates are all 43 cents per kWh (like gas stations, EA also has discount rates with member programs, and some manufacturers are offering free charging with purchase of an EV).
If she had driven a Trailblazer SUV with a comparable gas mileage of 33 mpg, it would have cost her $88 instead. At $5 per gallon, that translates to a $8 savings for the 600-mile trip.
the time that was saved? Unfavorable three hours:
Compared to a single, 5-minute stop in the Trailblazer to refuel, Stabenow’s charging stops increased the 9-hour, 30-minute drive from Lansing to Washington, D.C. by nearly three hours (for a total travel time of 13 hours, 9 minutes). Depending on the app you use to plan your trip, there are additional factors.
Call us crazy, but this doesn’t seem like something Stabenow should be arrogant about when people are having trouble paying for gas (along with groceries and many other things).
