Electric cars causing huge issues for drivers and dealers - 'people don't want to buy them!'

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One expert has called Government subsidies for electric vehicles a 'waste'

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Felix Reeves

By Felix Reeves


Published: 30/10/2023

- 09:46

Drivers in the US have access to a tax credit worth up to $7,500 (£6,200)

A leading economist has slammed the uptake of electric cars in the United States, saying that drivers are not attracted to cleaner vehicles despite the large number of subsidies available.

Despite growing support for the transition to electric cars, experts are warning that motorists may not be ready to invest in a new vehicle in the coming years.


There is no firm national deadline to end the sale of new petrol and diesel cars in the US, although President Joe Biden has mandated that all new vehicles added to the Government fleet will be zero emission by 2027.

E.J. Antoni, a Research Fellow in The Heritage Foundation's Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget, spoke to GB News about the issues facing electric vehicles in the United States.

WATCH NOW: E.J. Antoni on electric cars in the United States

He blasted the Biden administration for spending money on “waste” with the US seeing rising interest rates and spiralling levels of national debt.

The public finance economist added: “So much of what the Government has spent money on are things like Biden's Green New Deal, which is subsidising electric cars that don't work and that people don't want to drive.

“It's amazing that even with tens of thousands of dollars of subsidies on every single one of these vehicles between the producer side and the consumer side, people still don't want to buy them.

“They are piling up on dealer lots. People don't like these vehicles and the dealers just simply can't sell them.”

He claimed that the Biden administration was continuing to push for more subsidies, which he branded as further evidence of “waste”.

Drivers in the US have access to a tax credit worth up to $7,500 (£6,200) for any new plug-in or fuel cell EV purchased in or after 2023.

Credits are also available for pre-owned cars worth $4,000 (£3,306) and a $7,500 (£5,786) credit for any new electric vehicle purchased before 2023.

However, these credits will depend on battery capacity and when the manufacturer has pledged to phase out polluting cars.

Electric cars have become a battleground for potential Presidential candidates over the last year with a clear Republican-Democratic split over EVs.

Former President Donald Trump has made his feelings clear about the new vehicle technology, telling auto workers in Michigan that EVs were “killing jobs” and going to put people “out of business”.

The Republican hopeful for the 2024 election has spoken of his disapproval of electric cars over the years, saying they were “too expensive” and expressed concerns about the range of the battery.

Joe Biden has been a supporter of the transition to electric cars throughout his Presidency, announcing a range of public commitments to support uptake.

A key aim for the 46th President is for 50 per cent of all new vehicle sales to be electric by the end of the decade.

According to data from Cox Automotive, electric vehicle sales in the US continue to break total year-to-date records with over 873,000 new EVs on the road this year.

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Joe Biden speaking at a UAW picket line

Joe Biden speaking at a United Auto Workers picket line

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It added that it was likely for the US to see more than one million EV sales by November, with a report stating that the EV market is “transforming”.

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