Electric Vehicles

Congressman Donalds: “True or false President Biden says he wants 50% of new cars to be electric by 2030.”

EPA – Mr. Bradbury: “True but I guess now it’s 60 percent”

Congressman Donalds: “Okay. True or false in order to meet Tesla’s EV needs, and this is only Tesla by the way, um by 2030 Global lithium supply must be increased by uh by X times”

EPA – Mr. Bradbury: “Oh it definitely has to increase somehow. We don’t know from where. It has to increase greatly, yes.”

Congressman Donalds: “Okay. True or false typical electric car requires six times the mineral inputs of a Convention of a conventional car?”

EPA – Mr. Bradbury: “Yes”

Congressman Donalds: “True or false, the nuclear energy is the most viable option for a steady stream of reliable, affordable, carbon-free, electricity to power EV charging stations 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year?”

EPA – Mr. Bradbury: “I’m sorry. What”

Congressman Donalds: “Nuclear power?”

EPA – Mr. Bradbury: Yes. That’s my understanding.”

Congressman Donalds: “Okay”

EPA – Mr. Bradbury: Not an expert but”

Congressman Donalds: “That’s fine last question if 50 of the cars were electric vehicles today is there enough power on the electric grid to charge them all?”

EPA – Mr. Bradbury: “Absolutely not, no”

Congressman Donalds: “I want to circle back to one thing and Miss Baker-Branstetter that I was listening to your testimony uh we kind of established the the fact pattern that in order to accomplish what I believe you do support we’d have to massively expand lithium mining not to mention other mining capacities currently in the world today who dominates lithium?”

EPA – Ms. Baker-Branstetter: “Mining so lithium processing is dominated by China. um it’s mined in several other places as well”

Congressman Donalds: “Do you know some of the countries where it’s mined”

EPA – Ms. Baker-Branstetter: “Um in South America as well”

Congressman Donalds: “South America any other places”

EPA – Ms. Baker-Branstetter: “Um”

Congressman Donalds: “Are they mining in Africa?”

EPA – Ms. Baker-Branstetter: “Lithium I’m not I don’t think it’s a major lithium producer no”

Congressman Donalds: “Okay are they mining Cobalt in Africa?”

EPA – Ms. Baker-Branstetter: “Yes”

Congressman Donalds: “Is Cobalt necessary for an electric vehicle?”

EPA – Ms. Baker-Branstetter: “Um it is in the dominant chemistry at the moment yes”

Congressman Donalds: “Okay let me answer this question you’re saying your testimony that, the essentially referring to the current internal combustion engine that in addition to carbon dioxide heavy-duty vehicles omit or contribute to Ozone particulate matter nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, carbon monoxide, and other air toxins that are especially harmful to children developing to children’s developing bodies. um, are you aware that the Chinese use child slave labor in some of their mines to mine critical minerals?”

EPA – Ms. Baker-Branstetter: “Yes and in Africa as well that’s why we need to onshore and French or the supply chain we should clean it up and we should be very involved and be a leader in this space.”

Congressman Donalds: “Do you think that the United States should even be dealing with electric vehicles right now considering all critical minerals come from mines that employ child slave labor?”

EPA – Ms. Baker-Branstetter: “So, like I said, it is important for us to move in the right direction, and the IRA incentives are helping us do that, both for domestic content as well as critical minerals coming from safer places.

Congressman Donalds: “I got a question for you. Since the EPA is so enthralled with what is coming out of the tailpipe of an average American, is the same EPA going to be just moving through the permitting for new lithium mines and other mines in the United States? Are they going to also want to put that off on other countries?

EPA – Ms. Baker-Branstetter: “So, lithium mining is on the table in the United States.”

Congressman Donalds: “On the table? Define, explain that.”

EPA – Ms. Baker-Branstetter: “That there are permits that are currently pending.”

Congressman Donalds: “So, the EPA that wants to ban gas stoves and is concerned about what is coming out of a tailpipe, now wants to allow lithium mining in the United States. They are just going to say, oh yes, cool, let us do it?”

EPA – Ms. Baker-Branstetter: “So, mining definitely needs to be done in a safer way. The U.S. and North America can do it safer than other places. This is true for all mining for all consumer products and everything, including additional vehicles.”

Congressman Donalds: “I am glad you said that because I actually agree with that point. The United States can actually mine for all these critical minerals, whether it is right here at home, which means jobs for Americans, but also in friendly places around the globe. We can actually do that better and we do it cleaner than the Chinese do. My concern is that the EPA’s radical push toward electric vehicles, what that is really going to do, it is going to price out the very
poor. Poor people do not have money to buy an electric vehicle. I know because I grew up poor. We did not even have a car. So, then if I just have a car, you tell me that I have to spend $20,000 more to buy an electric vehicle, I just find that to be crazy mbecause that disrespects my pocketbook. It disrespects the pocketbook of every American on the lower side of our economic spectrum.

Wouldn’t you agree with that?”

EPA – Ms. Baker-Branstetter: “So, EVs are dropping in price, and the standards from EPA are for new vehicles.”

Congressman Donalds: “Mr. Chairman, I know I am out of time. Quick question for my indulgence. What is cheaper, an internal combustion used car or electric used car?”

EPA – Ms. Baker-Branstetter: “It depends on the vehicle class and type.”

Congressman Donalds: “Come on. I yield back.”