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Floor Speech

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Mrs. FISCHER. Mr. President, tomorrow, the Biden administration's Environmental Protection Agency will release new tailpipe emission standards formulated to push electric vehicles on the American people. The administration says that because of EVs ``the future of American transportation is on track to be cleaner, safer, more affordable, and more reliable than ever before.'' And Vice President Harris has said that our Nation's embrace of electric vehicles will determine ``the health of our communities, the strength of our economy, and the sustainability of our planet.''

The way the administration and their activist friends paint EVs, you would think these cars are a time-tested environmental blessing with transportation, economic, and community benefits to boot. But behind the curtain of this climate crusade there is little supportive evidence and plenty of problems--problems the administration has tried to hide.

So what is the truth of the matter? The truth is that electric vehicles are not a magic bullet for the environment. They are underdeveloped and they pose safety risks and they create more problems than they solve, both at home and abroad.

So let's talk science. Climate activists say electric vehicles are bringing on a Green Revolution, but the facts--the facts--do not support that claim. The President said in a recent speech that ``when I got elected President . . . we vowed to enact the most ambitious climate and environmental justice campaign in American history.''

That campaign, according to President Biden, includes ``moving to all-electric vehicles in the future.'' And Vice President Harris has styled the push for electric vehicles as ``an approach that is about clean energy and being smart around a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.''

When the administration makes these inflated claims about electric vehicles, they are only looking at what comes out of the exhaust pipe, but there is much more to the life of an electric vehicle. We will start at the beginning. The production of electric vehicle batteries requires a massive amount of electricity, usually produced by generators that burn fossil fuels. The manufacturing of EVs produces at least 60 percent more carbon emissions than that of gas-powered cars.

EVs, they start their lives with carbon debt. But even after they are on the road, EVs have their problems. They weigh significantly more than gas-powered cars because of those heavy batteries. This extra weight, it wears down an EV's tires as it drives. One study compared an electric car to a hybrid car and found that the electric one emitted about a quarter more particulate matter because of tire wear. Driving the electric car heightened overall emissions compared to a hybrid.

The climate activists pushing EVs aren't just ignoring this science; they are actually trying to hide it. When the California Air Resources Board analyzed the facts of the State's proposed ban on gas-powered cars over the next decade, it assumed both EVs and gas-powered cars have the same tire wear. The agency said it would be ``speculative'' to assume that electric cars will continue being heavier than gas cars. If that sentence was confusing, well, it is because it doesn't make sense.

Public policy should reflect reality, not the baseless future dream of featherweight electric cars. What is speculative, obviously, is assuming that the weight of EVs will change over the next decade, but there is no evidence to support that claim.

Here is another instance of sham science: Under an Energy Department rule, automakers were encouraged to greatly overestimate the fuel efficiency of electric vehicles. By fudging the numbers, carmakers claimed that EVs had absurdly high fuel efficiencies, up to 430 miles per gallon. Well, then--then the government granted subsidies to those automakers for supposedly meeting those high efficiency standards. It was a fake science racket designed to juice the EV industry.

Well, how did they fudge the numbers? The Energy Department included what they called a fuel content factor in their fuel efficiency equations, which multiplied the efficiency rates for EVs by 6.67. According to the rule, they chose that specific multiplier, ``for simplicity and ease of use.'' In part, the rule reads that ``it is included to reward electric vehicles' benefits to the Nation relative to petroleum-fueled vehicles.''

Well, people found out about that multiplier and how arbitrary that it was, and they pushed back. So now, in response, the Energy Department itself admitted that this multiplier ``lacks legal support'' and has ``no basis''--``no basis.'' They finally buckled, and they eliminated that step.

So why did it take so long? Activism is getting in the way of truth when it comes to electric vehicles. Suppressing the facts won't help us make the most environmentally sensible choices. Administration activists aren't just wrong about the environmental benefits of electric vehicles; they are also wrong about their performance. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg claimed that ``we see the superiority of [EVs] in terms of performance, not just in terms of climate.''

And the Department of Transportation says ``EVs provide lower operating costs, reduced maintenance needs, and improved performance.'' But the truth is that electric vehicles are often undeveloped, inefficient, and they are unsafe.

We all heard about EVs malfunctioning this winter. Freezing temperatures and hot temperatures drain batteries and reduce driving range, and they leave stranded drivers helpless. Even in normal weather, EVs have been plagued with glitches. Ford recalled some F-150 Lightning trucks with defects. General Motors told dealers to stop selling the Blazer SUV because of design flaws. A Consumer Reports survey found that new EVs have 79 percent more problems than internal combustion cars.

Why is this administration trying to speed up EV production when they are clearly not ready for prime time?

Electric vehicle charging stations malfunction just as badly as the vehicles. Last year, researchers visited every public fast charger in the San Francisco Bay area--every single one. They found that almost 23 percent of them had ``unresponsive or unavailable screens, payment system failures, charge initiation failures, network failures, or broken connectors.''

Auto analytics company J.D. Power found that one in five charging sessions at public stations failed to deliver any charge at all. This problem is more serious than just a glitch. Performance issues create safety issues.

As I mentioned before, EV batteries can weigh thousands of pounds. They make electric vehicles 30 percent heavier, on average, than gas- powered cars. That extra weight makes a lot of difference when one crashes into you going 60 miles per hour.

The University of Nebraska actually tested how EVs performed in a crash against safety guardrails and roadside barriers earlier this year. And what they found was disturbing. Because they are so heavy, electric vehicles crash with up to 50 percent more impact, smashing through and destroying roadside barriers. Our current safety infrastructure can't stop an EV, and that is a major problem-- especially for other drivers.

The Center for Auto Safety Executive Director Michael Brooks says that ``we are likely to see many additional deaths and injuries attributable solely to the added weight of EV batteries.''

These deaths and these injuries also disproportionately affect women and children. A report released last month by the Government Accountability Office found that crash tests across the country--well, they don't use the accurate female crash test dummies. Some only use male dummies. They don't even attempt to test car safety on the female body.

This is part of why crashes injure and kill women at higher rates than men. Women are 80 percent more likely to sustain lower leg injuries. And these current crash test dummies don't even provide data on that type of injury.

Before mandating a rush of electric vehicles on the roads, the Biden administration needs to find a solution to the risks that these cars can pose, especially the risks that they pose to women.

So what happens if you are driving your new EV, crash, and it catches on fire? Would you call the fire department or the highway patrol? Well, if so, you may be out of luck. EVs pose special risks to first responders as well.

Their batteries contain so much energy that any contact with fire can cause them to explode. High-voltage lithium-ion batteries also pose a risk of electric shock to first responders. Firefighters have been caught off guard by electric vehicles that erupt in fire. If cells in an EV battery are damaged, they can experience an uncontrolled increase in temperature and pressure. That volatility can reignite a fire in a battery even after it has been put out.

One fire chief described an EV fire as a ``trick candle.'' You never know when it will reflame.

We have debunked the claim that EVs are better for our environment. We have debunked the claim that they are technologically superior. But what about the claim that electrifying our vehicle fleet will boost America's energy independence?

President Biden said this year that ``investing aggressively in electric vehicles and battery production now . . . is . . . important for strengthening our long-term economic security.''

The reason he gave is that 75 percent of EV battery manufacturing is done in China. In his words, ``For some battery components, critical materials, China controls nearly half the global production.''

President Biden's logic is severely flawed. If we invest aggressively in electric vehicles now--like he wants to--we will just boost China's dominance in sourcing and in manufacturing.

China is the world's largest manufacturer of electric vehicles. A senior research scientist at MIT admitted that when it comes to EVs, ``we still are going to be dependent on China for many, many years.''

The EV industry is effectively run by the Chinese Communist Party. The Biden administration is not only encouraging Americans to support an industry monopolized by the CCP, they are supporting it themselves through Federal rulings.

In December, the Treasury Department released guidance to make it easier for Foreign Entities of Concern to use the clean vehicle tax credit when they route our EV supply chains through China.

One Washington Post article released last year tracked China's EV operations to another interesting location: Afghanistan. Shortly after his inauguration, President Biden ordered our troops out of Afghanistan, paving the way for a Taliban takeover of the nation's government.

Well, that got China's attention. Afghanistan is home to large lithium reserves, one of the minerals essential for EV batteries. With the United States out of the picture, Chinese mining companies have flooded Afghanistan. These companies have developed a symbiotic relationship with the anti-American Taliban leadership, and that relationship continues to grow.

The electric vehicle supply chain fuels our adversaries. At the same time, it fuels human rights violations across the world. These so- called ``clean'' cars use dirty manufacturing methods.

The Biden administration is sending millions of dollars to the Congo to support cobalt mining for electric vehicle batteries. A few years ago, human rights groups investigated Congo's mining sector, and they found it full of young children working in hand-dug tunnels that often collapse, burying these kids alive. The massive demand for cobalt only encourages that industry to keep using inhumane and environmentally irresponsible mining methods.

One Congolese mining expert said it best. He asked:

How can you base a green revolution on trashing Congolese environment and exploiting Congolese workers?

This phenomenon stretches across Africa into Asia. In Indonesia, miners use an intense acid-leaching process that sickens the local environment.

One man told reporters that the rivers he used to drink from have turned dark red since the nickel mine added its acid-leaching refinery. Pollution in those rivers has killed rows of coconut trees and schools of fish. Not only are locals deprived of clean water, but many local fishermen have to travel farther to support their livelihoods.

The Biden administration does not acknowledge or address the dark side of their self-proclaimed Green Revolution. They keep it tucked away in Congo and Indonesia, hidden away from their climate soapbox. But it is time for the administration to stop hiding this truth. They have spearheaded a reckless push toward a future run by electric vehicles.

If they have integrity, they will stop burying evidence and come clean about the electric vehicle record on environment, on safety, and on human rights. And if they have good judgment--well, they will tap the brakes on this climate charade.

Electric vehicles are ridden with problems, as any developing technology is. The problem is not so much electric vehicles as it is this administration's blind insistence on electric vehicle mandates that harm Americans and that harm the environment.

The White House is forcing electric vehicles on our country in a hasty, overzealous political play. And they are spurning the science, the facts, and the reality: Americans don't want the electric vehicle revolution and for good reason.

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