The Conservative Case For Electric Vehicles (in the U.S.)

For those out there who aren't bleeding green for the planet however, there are a number of reasons why driving electric is still the better choice. 

By: Zack Hurst

Whenever electric vehicles (EVs) are brought up in conversation, you can almost bet that a political discussion about the environment and climate change is likely to follow. Driving EVs is seen to be something that is a political, environmental or something we do to send a message, and therefore likely to appeal only to those who are more liberal or politically left-leaning. However, for those out there who aren't bleeding green for the planet, there are a number of other reasons why driving an electric vehicle is still the better choice. 

Energy Independence And Patriotism

Traditional internal combustion engine vehicles require gasoline or diesel fuel in order to move. As obvious as this is, many people don't think about where that fuel is coming from, or where the money to buy it is really going. For years, this country has been importing millions of barrels of oil from foreign countries to fuel our transportation system. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, "in 2018, the United States imported about 9.94 million barrels per day of petroleum from nearly 90 countries."

Electric vehicles, in contrast, usually "fill up" at home, plugged into the local electric grid. The local utility along with local energy providers, are the ones who get paid. This money then supports more local jobs (possibly people you know) and the local economy, NOT foreign countries. 

The Economic Choice

EVs have a lower total cost of ownership because of two main factors. Their fuel, electricity, is much less expensive than gasoline or diesel to travel the same amount of miles (As little as $.01/mi.) and, because electric vehicles do not have traditional engines with all the moving parts that require maintenance, repair, and replacement. You can read about that on our BEV System Components page.

The US Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy says, "On a national average, it costs less than half as much to travel the same distance in an EV than a conventional vehicle." Click here to view their full site.

Regarding maintenance, Ford Motor Co. says, "scheduled maintenance cost on the Ford Mustang-inspired all-electric performance SUV is estimated to be 38 percent less than the average scheduled maintenance cost compared to a gas-powered 2020 Escape over 5yrs/75,000 miles (whichever comes first). You can read more about that here.

According to the US Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, EVs "require minimal scheduled maintenance to their electrical systems, which can include the battery, electrical motor, and associated electronics." Additionally, "because of regenerative braking, brake systems on EVs typically last longer than on conventional vehicles." Many Tesla owners often report that the brake system maintenance includes lubricating parts that otherwise would get rusted from not being used. 

Support American Autoworkers

Yes, I know that with the recent UAW strike, THIS argument may be harder to make, but hear me out. Companies like Ford, GM, and Tesla have all made significant commitments to electric vehicles and will be flooding the marketplace in the coming years. If there was ever an argument to "Buy American", (as much as it pains many to hear it) you could say that is synonymous with, "Buy Tesla" as they are the most American made vehicles driving on the roads today. Even beyond that, the world is transitioning to electric vehicles, as Americans, we should want to support our companies (and their workers) every step of the way. We should want to have electric vehicles built here in the US. The longer we lag behind the rest of the world, the greater the chance that we'll all be driving imported EVs instead of home built autos.

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Lastly, and this is the part that conservatives might not want to hear, EVs DO have very many health and environmental benefits... and maybe it isn't all that bad if we can all breathe cleaner air.

​If you've found yourself being a champion of the internal combustion engine and additionally have been anti-EV, maybe this short list will help illuminate some of the many benefits that electric vehicles have. If not, I'd love to hear why I didn't convince you just yet, drop a comment below!