Why do staunch republicans hate electric vehicles?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op here,

Okay this makes sense. I am fb friends with a relative who is a staunch republican (the Covid denying, conspiracy theorizing variety) and she regularly posts that she would rather walk or bike long distances than to have an EV. I don’t understand the hate.

I mean, I don’t like SUVs (in terms of driving them, I am just used to smaller sedans) but if my car was totaled and all I could drive was DH’s SUV, I would get comfortable with it. I wouldn’t opt to walk 20 miles to Costco and bring everything home on foot.

She also seems to have a theory that the government is going to force us all to buy only electric cars. I’m a dem but also very against that type of overreach. Regulation (such as emissions tests) are fine but forcing everyone to drive a certain type of car is too much.

She’s not wrong. Walking or biking would be the greener option.

My relatives are the opposite of your aunt. Lots of love for Teslas. Lots of self-congratulatory pats on the back for buying them, but lack of awareness that the greener option is walking or biking to the store.

Golf carts are a middle ground that are only widely adopted in a few places. Most people would find it impractical to choose between walking or biking and driving a car for activities like going to a restaurant or grocery store, or going to the gym or a school function. I live in a town where these sorts of activities are largely accomplished by golf cart, and I am stumped as to why this isnt more widely adopted. Its cheap (wide paved bike trails) and green.

The changes to infrastructure would cost a fortune. Furthermore, weather would be a problem in most locations. OK in AZ and in CA.

[Anonymous]

This is why I'm not a fan of EV... the cost of refueling is just part of the problem. For every 1,000lb battery it contains 30lbs of cobalt. The mining of this cobalt uses 30,000lbs of iron ore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op here,

Okay this makes sense. I am fb friends with a relative who is a staunch republican (the Covid denying, conspiracy theorizing variety) and she regularly posts that she would rather walk or bike long distances than to have an EV. I don’t understand the hate.

I mean, I don’t like SUVs (in terms of driving them, I am just used to smaller sedans) but if my car was totaled and all I could drive was DH’s SUV, I would get comfortable with it. I wouldn’t opt to walk 20 miles to Costco and bring everything home on foot.

She also seems to have a theory that the government is going to force us all to buy only electric cars. I’m a dem but also very against that type of overreach. Regulation (such as emissions tests) are fine but forcing everyone to drive a certain type of car is too much.

She’s not wrong. Walking or biking would be the greener option.

My relatives are the opposite of your aunt. Lots of love for Teslas. Lots of self-congratulatory pats on the back for buying them, but lack of awareness that the greener option is walking or biking to the store.

Golf carts are a middle ground that are only widely adopted in a few places. Most people would find it impractical to choose between walking or biking and driving a car for activities like going to a restaurant or grocery store, or going to the gym or a school function. I live in a town where these sorts of activities are largely accomplished by golf cart, and I am stumped as to why this isnt more widely adopted. Its cheap (wide paved bike trails) and green.

The changes to infrastructure would cost a fortune. Furthermore, weather would be a problem in most locations. OK in AZ and in CA.

Also okay in most of the south and west. Bike trails do not cost s fortune relative to other options, and would address climate change concerns in a way that improves life for people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op here,

Okay this makes sense. I am fb friends with a relative who is a staunch republican (the Covid denying, conspiracy theorizing variety) and she regularly posts that she would rather walk or bike long distances than to have an EV. I don’t understand the hate.

I mean, I don’t like SUVs (in terms of driving them, I am just used to smaller sedans) but if my car was totaled and all I could drive was DH’s SUV, I would get comfortable with it. I wouldn’t opt to walk 20 miles to Costco and bring everything home on foot.

She also seems to have a theory that the government is going to force us all to buy only electric cars. I’m a dem but also very against that type of overreach. Regulation (such as emissions tests) are fine but forcing everyone to drive a certain type of car is too much.

She’s not wrong. Walking or biking would be the greener option.

My relatives are the opposite of your aunt. Lots of love for Teslas. Lots of self-congratulatory pats on the back for buying them, but lack of awareness that the greener option is walking or biking to the store.

Yes walking or biking to the coffee shop 3 blocks away is great. I’m not gonna bike to Giant to pick up groceries. That doesn’t make sense… unless I only buy groceries 1-2 bags at a time.

[Anonymous]

Electric vehicle drivers get candid about charging:'Logistical nightmare'

ABC NEWS, Morgan Kern, Feb 26, 2023

https://abcnews.go.com/Business/broken-machines-long-waits-reality-charging-electric-vehicle/story?id=97389275

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Culture wars. I’ve seen republicans attack Amtrak because they think trains are “socialist.”

Because they lose money every year and then expect the tax payer to pay for their lack of profitability decade after decade. It's the Soviet model of economics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op here,

Okay this makes sense. I am fb friends with a relative who is a staunch republican (the Covid denying, conspiracy theorizing variety) and she regularly posts that she would rather walk or bike long distances than to have an EV. I don’t understand the hate.

I mean, I don’t like SUVs (in terms of driving them, I am just used to smaller sedans) but if my car was totaled and all I could drive was DH’s SUV, I would get comfortable with it. I wouldn’t opt to walk 20 miles to Costco and bring everything home on foot.

She also seems to have a theory that the government is going to force us all to buy only electric cars. I’m a dem but also very against that type of overreach. Regulation (such as emissions tests) are fine but forcing everyone to drive a certain type of car is too much.

She’s not wrong. Walking or biking would be the greener option.

My relatives are the opposite of your aunt. Lots of love for Teslas. Lots of self-congratulatory pats on the back for buying them, but lack of awareness that the greener option is walking or biking to the store.

Golf carts are a middle ground that are only widely adopted in a few places. Most people would find it impractical to choose between walking or biking and driving a car for activities like going to a restaurant or grocery store, or going to the gym or a school function. I live in a town where these sorts of activities are largely accomplished by golf cart, and I am stumped as to why this isnt more widely adopted. Its cheap (wide paved bike trails) and green.

The changes to infrastructure would cost a fortune. Furthermore, weather would be a problem in most locations. OK in AZ and in CA.

Also okay in most of the south and west. Bike trails do not cost s fortune relative to other options, and would address climate change concerns in a way that improves life for people.

It does not address climate change concerns, except that it makes people concerned about climate change think they are accomplishing something.

The primary climate change concern is that the developing world would like to reach the standard of living of the developed world, and this requires lots of energy.
The secondary climate change concern is that the 'developed world' is emitting lots of CO2.
Bike lanes would not do anything about problem #1 and the effect on problem #2 is minimal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is why I'm not a fan of EV... the cost of refueling is just part of the problem. For every 1,000lb battery it contains 30lbs of cobalt. The mining of this cobalt uses 30,000lbs of iron ore.

Sure and ICE have no metal in them! The petroleum extraction is clean. In fact it is much clear very mines for cobalt.

[Anonymous]

Just what do people think powers the plants that provides the energy to “fill” up an EV?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just what do people think powers the plants that provides the energy to “fill” up an EV?

A billion tiny hamsters running on wheels.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Electric vehicle drivers get candid about charging:'Logistical nightmare'

ABC NEWS, Morgan Kern, Feb 26, 2023

https://abcnews.go.com/Business/broken-machines-long-waits-reality-charging-electric-vehicle/story?id=97389275

This is not true of Teslas. There is a vast network of Tesla chargers, so it's easy. We take our Teslas everywhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
We have solar panels and are self sufficient for electricity plus sending power back to the grid. If we get an EV, it will be powered by the sun.

But there’s the rub - the solar power your EV is using to get charged up could instead be going to the grid, where it would help everyone - IF - you didn’t have a car at all.

But you justify having a car because you think “sunshine is free”.

It’s not. By producing and using solar for your own purposes, you’re evading paying taxes on the power you would’ve otherwise had to purchase from a utility. Meaning you’re cheating the government - and all of us. And by using that power your solar panels created for your own uses, you’re denying that power to everyone else. And an equivalent amount of KW energy must then be produced by power plants - or other renewable sources - to make up for the KW’s that you diverted for your own use.

WTF kind of weird logic is that? No, using my own electricity is not “denying power to everyone else”. Where in the world do you get brainwashed like that?

By using electricity from the grid you are the one hurting all of us by contributing to global warming. Period.

If you have a personal solar array and are unconnected to the grid and use that solar power for your own personal uses, then you are evading paying the use-tax on the KWs you’re consuming that would otherwise be purchased from the grid and taxes paid on. It’s essentially stealing solar power. Or at the very least bootlegging solar power, because you aren’t paying taxes on it as you use it.

Yes exactly.

Home-solar collection is a form of theft.

Sunlight belongs to everyone; not just selfish individuals who refuse to share.

Biking is a form a theft.

You’re riding next to cars without having paid for a license, gas, or road maintenance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Be cause FREE-DUMBS!!!!!

They hated when the Obama admin wanted to keep the car industry alive and paid money to get rid of wasteful junkheaps. Off-road Jeep users are still bent out of shape seeing old CJs get scrapped.

The off road EV’s are a lot better vs the old jeeps.

Except for that whole running out of charge while off road thing.

Stupid. Do you worry about running out of gas? No? Then why would you worry about running out of charge?

I'm a republican and I reject the premise of this thread. Nevertheless, there are plenty of reasons to choose an EV over a gas powered vehicle that have nothing to do with environment, and the first one is that I never go to a gas station. Gas stations are scuzzy, stinky, and gross. The bathrooms are covered in grime and urine and the food makes Burger King look like a premium meal. I almost never go to a gas station. I say almost because occasionally I have to use a charger at a Wawa or something.

Second, most of my charging occurs in my own garage. I never have to leave early to get gas.

Third, I never take my car in for repairs. They come to me.

Finally, I can choose a setting that makes my car honk fart sounds. Your gas car cant do that.

How long am I at rest stops charging when I am driving from here to my beach place, usually 8.5 hours without traffic?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I keep seeing this pop up online and social media. What’s the deal?

Don't believe everything that you see on social media. I know a lot of Republicans who drive Tesla, some of the households own 2.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:EV are way more environmentally friendly when compared to gas powered cars. Gas powered cars use more energy per mile vs EV. The resources used to produce a GV pollute more and are more carbon intense per ton vs EV production. EV power source generation is a 1/10 the omissions of a GV. Finally operational costs are way less vs GV. The maintenance is basically tires and brakes, no coolant, oil changes, etc. There are just a lot less moving parts in a EV vs GS.

Once you drive an EV no one wants to go back to GV.

This is only if you switched to EV from Prius. My kid has Tesla and I drive it occasionally. I still prefer my V8 GV manual car.