Gasoline prices in the Commonwealth continue to climb, hitting a statewide average of $4.32 for a gallon of regular unleaded according to AAA. And Democrats in Richmond are hoping it may convince federal budget negotiators to look to growing the nation’s electric vehicle infrastructure.
“I don’t know what the term is, ‘we can’t let our foot off the gas’ when it's electric? But we can’t let our foot off the pedal,” said Richmond Senator Mike Jones, speaking to reporters Thursday morning with a plea for federal funding to support electric vehicle use in the Commonwealth.
Among reasons for the need? The high price of gas. Alleyn Harned is with the EV advocacy group Virginia Clean Cities.
“We as Virginians often spend $50 million every day for gasoline and diesel. But in these recent weeks we’ve been paying about $10 million more," Harned said. "Federal partnerships can lead us and help us move towards affordability.”
That number comes from US Energy Administration data which shows Virginians, as of 2021, were consuming about 8 million gallons of petroleum a day.
Thursday’s news conference aimed to thank Richmond Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan for her earlier work securing federal money to expand EV charging stations. McClellan said, under the last administration, funds were supporting EV infrastructure like charging stations across the country, but under Trump such funding is less likely.
“The Trump administration says, and my congressional Republican colleagues say, they want to lower costs for everyone and so we’re pointing out how their efforts to roll back, whether it's clean energy investments, energy efficiency, or EV investments, are counterproductive,” McClellan told Radio IQ Thursday.
As for how growing EV usage in Virginia can save the rest of us money at the pump?
“The more people are able to use electric vehicles the less demand for gas," McClellan said. "And at a time when gas prices are spiking because of the war in Iran, the less demand for gas the less those costs will be.”
As for getting federal funds for EV growth in Virginia, McClellan said she’s “always a hopeful person.”
