A Redditor claimed to know why the government had been pushing electric cars in 2022. However, other Redditors weren't as convinced and disputed the claim in the comments.
The Redditor posted a screenshot of an X post in the r/conspiracy subreddit with the caption over it, "If you know, you Know." Most other Redditors in the comments disagreed with their claim that the reason the government wanted people to buy EVs was because Nancy Pelosi's husband had just bought $2.2 million worth of Tesla stock.
While it's true that Pelosi's husband bought stock in Tesla, many people in Congress and their family members own stock in various companies, including oil companies.
According to Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, as of 2023, Senators had up to $1.2 million worth of stocks in companies involved in dirty energy.
Furthermore, a New York Times report said, "At least 97 current members of Congress bought or sold stock, bonds or other financial assets that intersected with their congressional work or reported similar transactions by their spouse or a dependent child."
While there is clearly a conflict of interest in the way they trade stocks, that doesn't mean it's why they promote renewable energy. It's happening on both sides of the aisle.
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Regardless of the conflict of interest, buying an EV can benefit consumers. For example, when you switch to an EV, you can save about $1,500 annually on gas and maintenance.
Driving an EV can also improve the air quality in your community. A study in California revealed that a UC Berkeley professor placed 57 sensors in the San Francisco Bay area to track polluting gases between 2018 and 2022. It showed that toxic gases were reduced by 1.8% yearly.
Another study by the University of Southern California found that for every 20 additional non-polluting vehicles on the road for 1,000 people, emergency room visits related to asthma were reduced by 3.2%.
Redditors in the comments were quick to point out the inaccuracies in the poster's statement.
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One user said, "This is short-sighted. So you don't think other politicians own stock in oil?!"
Another user commented, "They have been pushing electric vehicles and renewables much longer than even this last election cycle."
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