Ronald Stein
Ronald Stein is an engineer, senior policy advisor on energy literacy for CFACT, and co-author of the Pulitzer Prize nominated book Clean Energy Exploitations.
For one of the wealthier countries on this planet, America, with 330 million people representing about four per cent of the world’s eight billion on this planet, President Biden is speeding ahead with EV mandates to ditch most new gas cars by 2030.
Biden may not be cognizant that 80 per cent of the eight billion on this planet earning less than $10 a day, which is more than six billion on this earth, may never be able to enjoy the materialistic living styles of those in wealthier countries, or ever own an automobile.
In America, the elites have bought EVs, and the elites may continue to buy EVs, BUT we’re quickly running out of elites!
> The average debt in America is almost $60,000 across credit cards, mortgages, auto loans, and student loans.
> The common folk need a workhorse vehicle, not just a second car toy that sits in the garage to be used on short ventures!
> The current EV ownership profiles are reflected in the oligarchic elite, which consists of highly educated, highly compensated, multi-car families with low mileage requirements for the family’s second car.
> Current EV owner profiles are dramatically different from those of most vehicle owners. They are single-car owners, not as highly educated or compensated, and have higher mileage requirements for their workhorse vehicles.
Mandating a change to EV ownership and further austerity on those who can least afford it, the nation and the other 96 per cent on this planet may face a rebellion from those who need transportation.
Biden seems to be oblivious to the fact that there are more than 1.4 billion vehicles in the world and almost 300 million trucks in the world. There’s been a mandate movement to have EVs replace ICE vehicles to reduce emissions from the vehicular transportation sector.
Well, to date, the mandate for EVs has been a failure as we’re running short of elites who are buying them, and the auto manufacturers are starting to absorb the financial hits!
The previous worldwide gasoline usage peak was in 2019, before the pandemic.
- Today, there are 30 million EVs on the world’s roads that are owned by the elites who can afford them, and are mainly second vehicles parked in the garage, or with low mileage usage, vs the high mileage workhorse vehicles that have internal combustion engines.
- Today, there are also hundreds of millions of workers who now work virtually since the pandemic and thus do not ‘drive’ to work as often.
Well, even with those 30 million EVs and millions of workers not driving as much, gasoline usage continues to rise. The International Energy Agency (IEA) reports that global gasoline consumption in 2023 blew past the pre-lockdown 2019 peak!
By re-enforcing EV mandates, Biden is forcing automobile manufacturers into a death spiral, as most of the eight billion on this planet will never be able to afford an EV!