Electric vehicles offer a deal you'll come to regret. Here's why

As I predicted, the electric vehicle market has undergone a complete meltdown in three short years. A perfect example is the Hertz debacle. The Hertz CEO has been booted because he spent $250 million on a fleet of EVs that consumers didn't even want to rent. Just shows, it's not smart to put all your eggs in one basket, especially buying a product that was largely untested. Hertz is now selling (or trying to sell) these EVs at huge discounts to a market of consumers that are largely uninterested. As it turns out, these vehicles are only good for urban commutes.

Why are these EVs such a huge flop? There are a number of reasons. First off, they are more expensive than vehicles with internal combustion engines. Financing charges and insurance are also much higher. They also depreciate faster than internal combustion cars. Repair costs are much higher (assuming you can find a mechanic that is qualified and willing to work on your EV). Tires are more expensive and wear out faster because the EVs are so heavy. Recharging them is problematic for a myriad of reasons. They are more likely to catch fire than a vehicle with an internal combustion engine. If the vehicle is involved in an accident which affects the battery, the repair costs can actually exceed the value of the car.

To add insult to injury, it now costs more to charge an EV under many conditions than to refuel with gasoline. And you better think twice before driving an EV any distance in cold weather. The cold can cut your mileage in half and you can get stranded halfway to your destination. In addition, you need to be prepared to take a big loss when you go to sell your EV. Nobody wants to have to replace a battery that may cost as much as $20,000.

And yet, even with all the evidence that EV's are not wanted by the public, the Biden administration is planning to spend more of our tax dollars on subsidies to manufacturers to build more of these EVs, issue even more restrictions on gasoline engines and more mandates. Even the New York Times responded to this insanity by stating, "You simply cannot make up nuttier stuff."

To those of you who still think these vehicles are a worthwhile investment, you can get a great deal right now on Ford F-150 Lightnings. Ford Motor company literally has thousands of these lemons sitting on their dealers' lots all over the country. Nobody wants them, including the dealers. I think I'll keep my F-150 with the internal combustion V8.

Andy Fischer lives in Springfield.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Electric vehicles offer a deal you'll come to regret