Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm’s summer road trip in an electric vehicle has landed her in the hot seat with a top congressional Republican.
The Energy Department did not respond to a request for comment.
The dispute was witnessed and reported by NPR, which tagged along for the 770-mile trip from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Memphis, Tennessee. The outing was meant to promote the administration’s green energy agenda and federal funding for new public EV chargers. The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing a stringent tailpipe emissions rule that would force carmakers to phase out gas-powered vehicles and sell primarily EVs by 2030, prompting pushback from the industry and GOP officials.utilizing a fast charger while passing through a suburb of Augusta, Georgia, an Energy Department staffer sped ahead to use a gas-powered vehicle and block one of the rapid charging ports before her arrival. That led to the family calling the police.
Authorities reportedly were unable to force the staffer to move because it was not against the law for a non-EV to use the spot.‘s staffers remedied the tense scenario by sending other EVs to slower chargers until fast-charging spaces were available for the family and the secretary, per NPR.requested staffers to block the charger, who was responsible, if they were disciplined and if the secretary apologized to the family.
He also asked the purpose of trying to reserve it, including whether it was to “avoid the embarrassment of missing your next appointment because it takes so long to charge your vehicle?” or “because you felt that as secretary of the Department of Energy you had the right to charge your vehicle without waiting like other unfortunate EV users?”
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