Buttigieg: Families who buy electric vehicles 'never have to worry about gas prices again'

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg stressed in a new interview that families who buy electric vehicles (EVs) "never have to worry about gas prices again."

While speaking on MSNBC's "The Sunday Show With Jonathan Capehart," Buttigieg noted that Democrats' proposed social spending package includes incentives to make it more affordable to buy an electric vehicle.

Buttigieg said that families would essentially have a "$12,500 discount" in transportation costs, adding that "families who own that vehicle will never have to worry about gas prices again."

"The people who stand to benefit most from owning an EV are often rural residents who have the most distances to drive, who burn the most gas, and underserved urban residents in areas where there are higher gas prices and lower income," Buttigieg said.

"They would gain the most by having that vehicle. These are the very residents who have not always been connected to electric vehicles that are viewed as kind of a luxury item," he added.

"If we can make the electric vehicle less expensive for everybody, more people can take advantage, and we'll be selling more American-made EVs, which means in time they'll become less expensive to make and to buy for everybody," Buttigieg said.

Buttigieg's comments come after the Department of Energy announced last week that it would release 50 million barrels of oil from the nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve in an effort to control rising gas prices.

Recent polls have shown that the Transportation secretary has high favorability and name recognition amid speculation he may once again make a bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2024.

The Democrats' spending package, the Build Back Better Act, recently passed the House and is expected to be taken up in the Senate soon.