WASHINGTON — Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Michigan, has come under fire from conservatives on social media for boasting about driving her electric vehicle from her home state capital to D.C. over the weekend amid skyrocketing gas prices.
During a Senate Finance Committee hearing Tuesday that included a discussion with Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen about record-high gas prices, Stabenow mentioned that she waited a long time for the microchips necessary to buy an electric vehicle.
"I got it and drove it from Michigan to here this last weekend and went by every single gas station, it didn't matter how high it was," said Stabenow. "I'm looking forward to the opportunity for us to move to vehicles that aren't going to be dependent on the whims of the oil companies and international markets."
The national average for a gallon of gasoline as of Wednesday is $4.95, according to AAA. It's the highest-ever recorded average price, up from $3.06 per gallon nationally a year ago.
In Michigan, the average price of a gallon regular gasoline $5.21 per gallon on Wednesday, according to AAA, a 51-cent increase from a week ago.
A clip of Stabenow's statement went viral online in conservative circles, where Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel, U.S. House candidate John James and others blasted the anecdote as elitist due to the high average price of electric vehicles.
New electric vehicles cost more than $65,000 on average, according to estimates by Kelley Blue Book. In comparison, new vehicles overall cost $46,526 on average and luxury vehicles cost $65,628 on average.
"Everyone listen to this wealthy, elite member of Congress," tweeted Washington Times columnist Tim Young. "Just go buy an $80,000 electric vehicle and you won't need to worry about gas prices."
Stabenow, however, drives a Chevrolet Bolt EUV, according to spokesperson Robyn Bryan — a General Motors Co. electric vehicle that starts at $33,500 for the most recent model year.
"Every day, Senator Stabenow stands up for our hardworking Michigan auto workers—the best in the world. She will never apologize for driving a Michigan-made vehicle built by the talented workers at GM’s plant in Lake Orion," Bryan said in a statement.
"Instead of helping the oil companies line their pockets with Michigan drivers’ hard earned money, these critics should join the senator’s fight to end price gouging at the pump. These critics also owe the autoworkers in Lake Orion, and all across Michigan, an apology for disrespecting the products they work hard to make every single day."
EV supporters also argued Tuesday that the cost of residential electricity is currently much lower than the cost of gasoline, equating to around 3.7 cents per mile for an EV trip compared with 14 cents per mile in a similar gas car.
The uproar over Stabenow's comments reflects an ongoing debate in Washington about the government's role in supporting the auto industry's transition to electric vehicles.
Democrats have touted electric vehicles as a way for consumers to avoid similar gas price shocks in the future while reducing overall emissions; Republicans have argued Democrats' proposals are a government handout to the wealthy, given the average price tag of an EV.
The industry is spending billions to transition their fleets from gas-powered vehicles to electric ones. Democrats have backed several policies to speed up production and adoption, including President Joe Biden using the Defense Production Act to spur battery mineral production and Congress appropriating $7.5 billion for EV chargers through the bipartisan infrastructure law.
Democrats are still hoping to pass a proposal authored by Stabenow and U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Michigan, that would give consumers a discount on a new electric vehicle.
Under the proposed policy, consumers would get up to $12,500 off a new EV under certain price points (sedans under $55,000 and SUVs under $69,000, for example) and it would lift the 200,000 vehicle per manufacturer cap, which prevents General Motors and Tesla from continuing to benefit from the existing credit program.
However, it faces the opposition of Sen. Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia, who has raised concern about the proposed benefit. Manchin and Democratic leaders in Congress continue to negotiate a partisan reconciliation bill that could implement some of Biden's climate and energy proposals.
Most electric vehicles that are selling in volume are from luxury car makers such as Tesla, Inc., said Mike Schirmer of Cox Automotive Inc.
"One thing that will help EV pricing averages going forward will be more sales of products like the Chevy Bolt (sales have restarted) and Nissan Leaf and EVs price from more mainstream brands," Schirmer said via email. "But we expect EVs pricing to remain above industry average pricing for some time to come."
