Right Wing Texans Love Electric Cars, If You Don’t Say “Environment”
Recently, we did a story about the 2023 NADA convention and goat roping in Dallas, where Slate correspondent Alexander Sammon got a chance to speak to Buzz Smith, a former car salesman turned blogger who bills himself as The EV-angelist. Smith was giving a presentation entitled “Selling EVs Is Easy, Even in Texas!” Take the time to learn how an electric cars actually work, he counseled those in attendance. Get the buyers out for a test drive. “The big message, though, is do not mention the environment. Do NOT mention climate change,” he warned.
Much to our surprise, The EV-angelist popped up again today in a Washington Post article about electric cars. It turns out EVs are gaining popularity in some of the reddest parts of one of America’s reddest states. Smith told the Post he has had executives from Exxon and other oil companies approach him at auto shows and whisper their interest in electrification. “They say they are retiring and their next car will be an EV,” he said. They just don’t want to be seen driving one to work until they do.
Most of the counties in America with the highest EV uptake are solidly blue, but pockets of red are springing up. Florida’s St. Johns County, home to St. Augustine; Indiana’s Hamilton County, north of Indianapolis; North Carolina’s Union County, southeast of Charlotte; New Jersey’s seaside Monmouth County; and California’s Kern County, home to Bakersfield, are among the areas that voted for Trump in 2020 and had higher-than-average EV market-share growth last year, according to data supplied by S&P Global Mobility,
In Plano, Texas, just north of Dallas, the market share of electric cars is well above the national average and growing fast, reaching 8.7% of new vehicle registrations last year. In neighboring Denton County, also reliably red, EVs were 7.3% of the market. Nationwide, electric cars were about 6.2% of new vehicle registrations last year.
Some EV buyers in the Plano area expressed concern about the climate, but most told the Washington Post they were drawn by the performance, style, and high tech features of the vehicles — and the convenience and savings of avoiding the gas pump.
“I used to drive a Mercedes-Benz SUV and I went to go fill up my gas tank and it was over $4 for premium gas. So I went the very next day and I traded it in for an electric vehicle,” said Kate Allen, who owns a Tesla Model 3. The possibility of helping the environment was a “bonus,” not her main motivation, she added.
Tony Federico, a former Marine who votes Republican, is the head of the local Tesla owners club in Plano. He bought his Tesla Model 3 in 2018 and said he was attracted to it by the cool technology and the chance to save money on gas. “I think selfishly it was, how is this going to help my pocketbook?” Environmental concerns were “not really” on his radar.
Electric Cars & Pickup Trucks
Electric cars are now sharing garage space with conventional pickup trucks. Nationwide, Ford F-series trucks are the top garage mate for the Mustang Mach-E and other electric cars, while the Chevrolet Silverado is the most common garage mate for the Bolt EV, according to S&P Global Mobility.
Greg Nipper, a tech industry manager who lives in north Dallas, bought a Tesla Model 3 in 2018, and parked it at home next to his Ford F-150 pickup. Soon, he decided to ditch the truck. “I’ve always been a pickup person, but the enjoyment of driving that [Tesla] was enough that I traded my pickup for a second Model 3,” said Nipper, a registered Democrat. The convenience of charging at home also won him over. “No oil change, no going to the gas station. Simply plug in at night and wake up with a full charge.”
Bill Schofield — a two-time Trump voter — described himself as fiscally conservative and socially liberal. He said he got interested in EVs a decade ago, when he was among the first 2,000 customers to buy a Tesla Model S. Today, he and a partner have started a business that converts classic cars to battery power.
When he bought his Model S, Schofield didn’t think the vehicles were going to help the environment much, and he still doesn’t. He was chasing the latest technology. “I think the Democrats think they’re saving the planet, because they didn’t do the real math to see that — oh, no, they’re not. The Republicans and conservatives, they bought it because it was the cool new technology.”
Kevin Emr is Schofield’s partner in the conversion business.“If you’ve driven electric cars, you’ve realized how convenient they are to own and drive,” said Emr, an engineer and racing driver who has a Rivian SUV on order. His father-in-law, who prefers Ford pickup trucks and SUVs, recently bought a Mustang Mach E. “No more gas station trips, no more oil changes. No more maintenance, no drips in your garage, no smells. Everything just works.”
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The Takeaway
The point to celebrate here is that more people are discovering the good news about electric cars, things CleanTechnica has been nattering on about for years. Electric cars are virtually silent. There is no constant shifting of gears, since there is no transmission. Step on the exhilerator and enjoy the immediate flow of power. Take your foot off the pedal and experience the joy of a car that brings itself to a halt while sending electrons back to the battery.
Celebrate the convenience of plugging in when the car is not in use and having a fully charged battery when the sun rises the next day. Enjoy not having gas stations in your life anymore. The wonders of electric cars are a gift to yourself that keeps on giving. So what if someone buys one just because it offers an amazing driving experience and not because it has environmental benefits for the human community? The world of electric cars is not a club reserved for Bernie Sanders supporters. There’s room for everyone.
There is also room for improvement, of course. People who live in apartment buildings and condo complexes face hurdles when it comes to having access to electricity to charge their cars. Reliable charging while away from home is still problematic, although less so for those who have access to the Tesla Supercharger network. The EV revolution is far from complete, but it is moving forward. In the brave new world of electric cars (and trucks), all are welcome.
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