A Fox Business host cut off Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg when he claimed no one will drive gas-powered vehicles by the middle of the 21st century.
President Joe Biden’s administration is pushing to increase the sales of electric vehicles (EVs) in the U.S. by striving to make 67% of new vehicle sales electric by 2032. The president signed an executive order in December 2021 to take steps in switching to a 100% electric vehicle fleet by 2035 and for the federal government to be completely emissions-free by 2050.
Host David Asman said EVs are expensive and that vehicle companies are losing money due to consumers preferring gas-powered vehicles.
“First of all, if you know someone who’s selling a new Ford 150 electric for $10,000, please give me their number,” Buttigieg said during a Monday interview.
“I’ll give it to ya,” Asman interrupted. “I’d be happy to.”
“That’s something I’d love to know,” the Transportation Secretary said.
WATCH:
Buttigieg said the sales of EVs have reached a new record by tripling in sales, and added the goal is for about the same number of EVs to be sold as gas-powered ones by the end of the 2020s. (RELATED: Kevin O’Leary Says There Is ‘Not A Chance In Hell’ Biden’s EV Push Will Be Successful)
“I don’t know a lot of people who think that Americans in 2050 are still gonna be driving that old technology, that combustion technology that we inherited in the 20th century,” Buttigieg said.
“Americans like it,” Asman interjected.
“The big question is—” Buttigieg continued.
“Americans like it,” the Fox Business anchor repeated.
“Well, no, you’re not gonna meet a lot of people who ever go back on after they’ve gone electric, and I think that really tells us something,” Buttigieg said. “That the lower maintenance, the fact that it cost less to maintain, the fact that they break down less—”
“I’m so sorry,” Asman said mid-sentence, saying the interview has “literally run out of time.”
Watch climate activists chase Buttigieg off a stage:
Breaking: we just chased Secretary Pete Buttigieg off the stage at the Meyerhoff Symphony.
Petro Pete is a coward. As we write he is ramming down our throats the Sea Port and GulfLink oil terminals – each worse than Keystone.
We must resist him with all we’ve got. And we will. pic.twitter.com/aVKeCre5eH
— Climate Defiance (@ClimateDefiance) October 10, 2023
Buttigieg has consistently argued in favor of EVs by saying they cost less to maintain than a gas-powered vehicle. The upfront costs of EVs are significantly more than a gas-powered vehicle, though the U.S. Department of Energy found that an owner of an EV will spend $14,480 less charging an EV than paying for gas in 15 years, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council.
Owners who drive 15,000 miles in their electric car spend roughly $546 on power, while a person would spend $1,255 in a gas-powered car driving the same distance, according to Money.com.