Biden zips around WH in hybrid Jeep Wrangler (and demands to test the first electric Corvette) as he pushes for HALF of new cars to be emission-free by 2030 AND front-seat breathalyzers
President Joe Biden took a hybrid Jeep Wrangler for a spin around the South Lawn of the White House – as he touted new battery technology going into the electric fleet.
'Have you guys driven an electric vehicle?' the president asked a group of reporters after he completed his circuit. 'You don’t hear a thing,' he said.
Clearly in his element, Biden jumped out of the gray jeep and fielded several questions from the press.
Asked by DailyMail.com about language in the new infrastructure bipartisan bill about mandatory breathalyzer technology for cars, Biden backed the idea.
'In large part it would just help the driver,' Biden said. 'Because lots of times people have a couple drinks and don’t realize it,' he added.
'That's a good idea, I think,' Biden said.
Earlier, in his remarks to lawmakers, Biden, a car buff, said he told GM chief Mary Barra that when the company finally makes an electric Corvette, he wants to be the first to drive it.
'When they make the first electric Corvette, I get to drive it,' he quipped.
'You don’t hear a thing,' Biden said after taking a test drive of a Jeep hybrid vehicle
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'Right, Mary? You think I'm kidding— I'm not kidding!'
He also leered at one of the electric vehicles parked in front of the White House.
'You see that sucker over there? 0 to 60 in 4.1 seconds – it's all electric!' he exclaimed.
He also spoke at length about his administration's latest eviction moratorium. He explained that he spoke to a group of constitutional scholars he has consulted in the past, and once again acknowledged some weighed in against his move.
He said he left it to the CDC to make its decision.
'I said okay thank you,' Biden explained. 'I can't guarantee that a court won't rule that we don't have that authority,' he added.
On cars, Biden said there was a realization on the part of business and labor that 'this is the future.'
He spoke about U.S. taxpayer investments in battery technology over decades. 'We didn't take advantage of it. We didn't move on it. China moved. China now owns the market,' he said.
Top automakers Ford, Chrysler, and Jeep were represented – but not Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who complained the exclusion was odd on Twitter.
The administration didn't have an immediate explanation.
The president took his jacket off and ran to the Wrangler to take it for a spin after signing the executive order
Biden told the crowd he will be the first to drive an electric Corvette when it has been manufactured
Biden has been championing electric cars since he took office as part of his bid to dramatically reduce carbon emissions
Biden stuck to the paths as he passed a view of the Lincoln Memorial in front of the White House
'I'm not sure,' Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told CNBC Thursday morning when asked about Musk's absence. 'But you're seeing so many leaders in the industry.'
'We're moving toward the future this is all across the market. I don't want there to be a perception that this is a luxury thing,' Buttigieg said of owning an electric car.
The U.S. is home to Tesla, a world leader in electric cars, but it has been slow to adopt such vehicles - especially when compared with China or Europe.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Thursday indicated it was because Tesla is not unionized.
When asked about Musk's absence, she said the three big auto makers and top officials with the United Auto Workers would be at the event.
And when pressed on if it was because Tesla was not a union shop, Psaki responded: 'These are the three largest employers of the United Auto Workers so I'll let you draw your own conclusion.'
The 50 per cent goal is nonbinding and mostly symbolic, but it sets the expectation for U.S. automakers to begin the transition from building gas-powered vehicles to electric ones.
It includes battery electric, plug-in hybrid electric, or fuel cell electric vehicles. Biden will also call for the first-ever national network of electric vehicle charging stations.
'What we're hearing across the board is a consensus about the direction where this industry is going and a coming together around the recognition that this is the moment of truth — not just for climate action, for economic action, as well,' said a senior administration official who briefed reporters on a call.
The president has already secured the support of the unions.
'The members of the UAW, current and future, are ready to build these electric cars and trucks and the batteries that go in them,' President Ray Curry said in a statement released through the White House.
'Our members are America's secret weapon in winning this global race.'
And the three big U.S. automakers — GM, Ford and Stellantis — said the agreement reflected their 'commitment to be leaders in the U.S. transition to electric vehicles.'
However, in their joint statement, they also emphasized they needed federal help to make that happen.
'This represents a dramatic shift from the U.S. market today that can be achieved only with the timely deployment of the full suite of electrification policies committed to by the administration in the Build Back Better Plan,' they said.
The percentage improvements in emissions and fuel economy that Biden's new rules will require were not immediately clear.
A White House fact sheet indicated the administration will leave the Trump standards for miles per gallon in place until vehicle model year 2024 and for greenhouse gas emissions until model year 2023.
The strategy is part of Biden's plan to fight climate change. The White House noted the order put the nation on track to meet Biden's goal 'of 50-52 percent net economy-wide greenhouse gas emission reductions below 2005 levels in 2030.'
Biden spoke about electric cars and his eviction policy after his speech
THE HYBRID JEEP WRANGLER BIDEN TOOK ON HIS WHITE HOUSE JOYRIDE
Jeep's first-ever plug in, hybrid model swaps its famed 4x4 badges with 4xe.
It was released in 2021 and has a two-speed transfer to enable four-wheel drive in terrains well known by Jeep lovers.
The Wrangler 4xe can drive in up to 20 inches of water, with the high-voltage charging sockets and components protected by waterproof seals.
It can reach 0-60mph in six seconds, climb over all obstacles, has 375 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of instant torque.
New models start at $49,805 and can run in electric mode for up to 21 miles.
Regenerative breaking allows the battery to charge when decelerating or breaking and can be charged at one of the stations Biden is planning to instal as part of a $15billion investment.
In 2018, the consultancy firm McKinsey estimated the US would need $11billion of capital by 2030 to deploy 13 million charges needed for all of the EVs in the country.
Biden opens the door of the Jeep Wrangler ready for his test drive for the cameras