WATCH: Pete Buttigieg explaining how hybrid vehicles can be 'zero-emission' shows he understands neither hybrids nor what 'zero-emission' is

Sarah D | 12:20 PM on August 05, 2022

In case you happened to miss it, yesterday, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg appeared on CNBC’s “Squawk Box.”

He’s been wrong about a lot of things … and this time was no exception.

Buttigieg, like many others in the Biden administration, has been leaning pretty heavily into electric vehicles as a “solution” to the problem of high and rising gas prices, despite the fact that most Americans can’t afford electric vehicles. And, like many others in the Biden administration, what he fails to understand — or likely knows but couldn’t care less about — is that plug-in hybrid vehicles aren’t really an option for many people, either:

"I think there are a lot of consumers who have turned to a plug in hybrid vehicle that is for all intents and purposes an electric zero emission vehicle most of the time," says @SecretaryPete. "The long term goal has to be to get to full true zero emission." pic.twitter.com/998ooLvQKn

— Squawk Box (@SquawkCNBC) August 4, 2022

Got that?

Aside from the affordability problem, another problem with hybrid vehicles is that they are not, in fact, “for all intents and purposes an electric zero emission vehicle most of the time.” And if you’re counting on them to be, you’d better hope that you live somewhere that has plenty of places to plug in between point A and point B. Otherwise — and we’re sorry to have to tell you this — you’re, for all intents and purposes, driving a gas-powered vehicle.

A car that runs on gas is zero emissions??? https://t.co/JYd4IGWcOM

— Phineas (@mad_dog1028) August 4, 2022

Also, “full true zero emission” is a very nice goal to have, but it’s not remotely realistic. At least not until someone discovers a zero-emission way to generate the electricity used to power hybrid and electric vehicles.

"Zero emission."@PeteButtigieg, would you mind letting the good people know where the electricity comes from that charges that electric vehicle? https://t.co/ngFc0qpGcE

— Young Americans for Liberty (@YALiberty) August 4, 2022

“Zero emission” is how democrats view a vehicle that is powered by a coal plant. https://t.co/VlmhjVwvNZ

— a newsman (@a_newsman) August 4, 2022

Party of Science™, ladies and gentlemen.

Does Pete get a commission or something? I’ve never seen someone so hyper-focused on trying to sell electric cars. https://t.co/dkIM3R5ZmX

— Matt Whitlock (@mattdizwhitlock) August 4, 2022

Well, Dems do love to be in bed with certain businesses …