Energy Secretary's Electric Vehicle Roadtrip Devolves Into "Scene Out Of VEEP"

[Ubiquitous]

The Biden administration‘s efforts to promote electric vehicles hit a
roadblock during Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm‘s summer trip through the
southeast United States.

Granholm and her entourage used a fleet of electric vehicles to journey from
Charlotte, North Carolina, to Memphis, Tennessee, with town hall events along
the way, NPR’s Camila Domonoske wrote in a report published on Sunday.

The purpose of the trip was to “draw attention to the billions of dollars the
White House is pouring into green energy and clean cars,” but Domonoske, who
joined the caravan for the ride, shared how the four-day venture was not a
smooth ride all the way through.

Energy Secretary Granholm recently took 4-day EV caravan trip across
the southeast to "draw attention to the billions of dollars the White
House is pouring into green energy and clean cars."

What happened next is like a scene out of VEEP:
pic.twitter.com/D0uuGJjJIl

— Scott Lincicome (@scottlincicome) September 10, 2023

“[B]etween stops, Granholm’s entourage at times had to grapple with the
limitations of the present. Like when her caravan of EVs — including a luxury
Cadillac Lyriq, a hefty Ford F-150 and an affordable Bolt electric utility
vehicle — was planning to fast-charge in Grovetown, a suburb of Augusta,
Georgia,” the report said.

“Her advance team realized there weren’t going to be enough plugs to go
around. One of the station’s four chargers was broken, and others were
occupied. So an Energy Department staffer tried parking a nonelectric vehicle
by one of those working chargers to reserve a spot for the approaching
secretary of energy,” the report continued. “That did not go down well: a
regular gas-powered car blocking the only free spot for a charger?”

“In fact, a family that was boxed out — on a sweltering day, with a baby in
the vehicle — was so upset they decided to get the authorities involved: They
called the police,” the report added. “The sheriff’s office couldn’t do
anything. It’s not illegal for a non-EV to claim a charging spot in Georgia.
Energy Department staff scrambled to smooth over the situation, including
sending other vehicles to slower chargers, until both the frustrated family
and the secretary had room to charge.”

The story drew some mockery on social media, highlighted as being a
encapsulation of the hardships that complicate the federal government’s push
for a transition away from gasoline-burning vehicles.

Scott Lincicome, the vice president of general economics at the libertarian
Cato Institute, shared a screenshot of the passage about the struggles
experienced by Granholm’s crew and said it was “like a scene out of VEEP,”
referring to HBO’s political satire series starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus that
ran from 2012 to 2019.

“Secretary of Energy boots family with baby so she can use their EV charger.
For reference, Article I, Section 9 states ‘No Title of Nobility shall be
granted by the United States,'” added Heritage Foundation research fellow
Peter St Onge.

Domonoske noted in her report that drivers may face more issues with there
not being enough chargers as the number of electric vehicles increases. She
emphasized how this is particularly a problem for non-Tesla electric
vehicles, as Elon Musk’s company still dominates the market in the United
States, though some other automakers are embracing Tesla’s technology and its
charging network is being opened to more vehicles.

Granholm, at the end of her trip, conceded, “Clearly, we need more high-speed
chargers, particularly in the South.”

--
Let's go Brandon!

[BTR1701]

On Sep 11, 2023 at 1:30:46 AM PDT, "Ubiquitous" <web...@polaris.net> wrote:

> The Biden administration‘s efforts to promote electric vehicles hit a
> roadblock during Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm's summer trip through the
>
> southeast United States.
>

> "[B]etween stops, Granholm's entourage at times had to grapple with the

> limitations of the present. Like when her caravan of EVs-- including a luxury

>
> Cadillac Lyriq, a hefty Ford F-150 and an affordable Bolt electric utility

> vehicle-- was planning to fast-charge in Grovetown, a suburb of Augusta,

> Georgia," the report said.
>
> "Her advance team realized there weren't going to be enough plugs to go
> around. One of the station's four chargers was broken, and others were
> occupied. So an Energy Department staffer tried parking a nonelectric vehicle
>
> by one of those working chargers to reserve a spot for the approaching
> secretary of energy," the report continued. "That did not go down well: a
> regular gas-powered car blocking the only free spot for a charger?"

Wow. The unbridled arrogance of these people. They really do think they're
better and more important than you are.

> "In fact, a family that was boxed out-- on a sweltering day, with a baby in
> the vehicle-- was so upset they decided to get the authorities involved: They

>
> called the police," the report added. "The sheriff's office couldn't do
> anything. It's not illegal for a non-EV to claim a charging spot in Georgia.
> Energy Department staff scrambled to smooth over the situation, including
> sending other vehicles to slower chargers, until both the frustrated family
> and the secretary had room to charge."
>
> The story drew some mockery on social media, highlighted as being a
> encapsulation of the hardships that complicate the federal government’s push
> for a transition away from gasoline-burning vehicles.

More like an encapsulation of Democrat belief that they're some sort of
royalty and that the only thing they need from you is for you to bend your
knee whenever they demand it.

> "Secretary of Energy boots family with baby so she can use their EV charger."

Sounds like a Babylon Bee headline, doesn't it?

> For reference, Article I, Section 9 states 'No Title of Nobility shall be

> granted by the United States', added Heritage Foundation research fellow
> Peter St Onge.

Someone should print this out and send it to the DNC.

[trotsky]

On 9/11/23 11:51 AM, BTR1701 wrote:
> On Sep 11, 2023 at 1:30:46 AM PDT, "Ubiquitous" <web...@polaris.net> wrote:
>
>> The Biden administration‘s efforts to promote electric vehicles hit a
>> roadblock during Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm's summer trip through the
>>
>> southeast United States.
>>
>> "[B]etween stops, Granholm's entourage at times had to grapple with the
>> limitations of the present. Like when her caravan of EVs-- including a luxury
>>
>> Cadillac Lyriq, a hefty Ford F-150 and an affordable Bolt electric utility
>> vehicle-- was planning to fast-charge in Grovetown, a suburb of Augusta,
>> Georgia," the report said.
>>
>> "Her advance team realized there weren't going to be enough plugs to go
>> around. One of the station's four chargers was broken, and others were
>> occupied. So an Energy Department staffer tried parking a nonelectric vehicle
>>
>> by one of those working chargers to reserve a spot for the approaching
>> secretary of energy," the report continued. "That did not go down well: a
>> regular gas-powered car blocking the only free spot for a charger?"
>
> Wow. The unbridled arrogance of these people. They really do think they're
> better and more important than you are.

Everybody's better and more important than right wing people. How is
this confusing?