You're watching...
Public Citizens Energy Program Director Tyson Slocum on the tax credits for electric cars.
Also in this playlist...
Auto-advance: ON
Auto-advance
This transcript is automatically generated
-- it should finish -- for the electric car industry I helped a lot because the new report out today shows that in the next seven years.
Taxpayers will pay a whopping.
Seven and a half billion dollars towards the manufacturing -- promotion.
A fuel efficient cars but here's the kicker the report which was done by the Congressional Budget Office by the way so don't tell me about who did this study.
Also says that the lifetime costs of owning an electric car.
Are still higher.
That if you had a conventional car or hybrid to -- -- government is just throwing away your hard earned dollars and just check them out the window here disagree with me is the director.
Citizen's energy program Tyson slocum Tyson your -- -- come on today because.
This RR call and end this CBO the whole CBO report kind of you know really -- means we're paying seven point five billion dollars over the next seven years.
It's 7500 dollars a vehicle.
And I'll start with fact number one which was that plug in vehicles on average will still cost even with all -- 161000 to 191000.
More -- gas vehicles that were paying an extra 26500.
Dollars a vehicle.
To have these things on the road to think it's worth it.
Absolutely because the number you're not -- is that 300 billion dollars a year that Americans spend to import -- deal.
Anyway you look at our energy equation.
The money that were wasting importing oil.
Is taking billions of dollars every year out of our economy's so what this program is trying to do.
Is to create a manufacturing base word not only the American automotive industry will be provide.
Up products to American consumers to help us use less oil but we can become globally competitive again there's no question that -- you.
-- treat patients out of hand in hand I I agree that it is about creating manufacturing here for sure I mean that's definitely what we're spending our money on is is supporting GM and Ford and Chrysler.
But but your other point about getting off foreign oil.
I would quote the CBO which says consequently the tax credits we'll have no impact on total gasoline use or.
Greenhouse emissions at the end of the day it does not achieve the goal.
-- cutting gasoline use at all.
Yeah -- in the next couple of years that's absolutely correct you have to start somewhere that CBO report also notes.
That electric hybrid vehicles were not introduced into the US market until 2010.
So this is a brand new century.
Into the fleet of vehicles that that consumers can buy.
And you have to start somewhere and we're starting small but I think that it's a national security issue.
For us to diversify.
Our transportation.
Fuel and and and a great start would be electric vehicles they're not -- But there for going to be for a lot of people and.
-- they -- that I mean even if your goal was to get off oil.
I'm not sure these collector vehicles are getting the job -- is we're talking about spending.
26500.
Dollars more per vehicle.
We're getting absolutely nothing for no less fuel usage no net -- greenhouse gas emissions are exactly the same when you talk about.
The hybrid -- gas electric car together.
They say that it's 5000 dollars less up front generally that a car that is not a hybrid but over the lifetime of the car.
It cost -- 121000 dollars more to have it.
See you're still paying -- -- again you're not getting any environmental and fuel benefits for this we -- do we need to scrap.
The idea of electric vehicles and try something else if we want to get -- -- Be a bad idea because you talk to people that own these electric vehicles.
And they're extremely excited they're excited to pass by gas station after gas station and not spend a dime throwing their money away on foreign countries.
That often hate -- America I know it.
-- -- it -- -- and it de -- have a very good friend that bought a gas hybrid vehicle because gas electric hybrid because it was cheaper.
And he was so frustrated because he didn't save any money -- gas and the thing was a clunker over time he spent more fixing it up exactly what these guys say that over the time.
It -- and 121000 dollars -- ended up trading it back in.
For a full fuel vehicle regular gasoline -- We'll look a lot of consumers would be eager to try to and avoid increasing gasoline prices and monetize something oil is only to become more expensive it's priced globally -- so even though the US is producing more even though we're using less oil here.
Its price globally in China and India are pushing that price up.
And anything we can do to diversify -- transportation fuel.
Is gonna be a good thing and and electric cars have to be part of that equation I also.
I don't I think they're just let's be part of that equation at seven point five billion dollars for I don't know what but but we both agree that it's worth looking for other solutions Tyson thanks for coming on.
-- my pleasure Melissa.
