After Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton, it has become clear that electric vehicles (EVs) are less reliable than conventional cars. Florida fire marshals even dubbed electric vehicles “ticking time bombs” ahead of the storm, warning that battery fires can occur hours to even weeks after electric vehicles are submerged in salt water.

Electric vehicles are not ready for any extreme weather conditions, whether that’s a hurricane, heatwave, or blizzard. Not only do hot and cold temperatures reduce the range of EVs, but they also increase the safety risk.

As a former owner of an electric car, I saw the downside of massively reduced efficiency and performance in cold winter driving around Chicago and extremely hot days in SW Florida.

According to scientists, lithium-ion batteries are considered safe to use between 32 degrees and 140 degrees Fahrenheit. But even without extreme weather conditions, a 2023 report from Consumer Reports found that EVs have nearly 80% more problems than conventional gas cars.

The safety risks do not stop with extreme weather affecting the batteries. American roads and infrastructure are not prepared to handle larger EVs.

Electric vehicles tend to have lower centers of gravity and can weigh up to 50 percent more than comparable gas-powered vehicles due to their massive batteries. The added weight increases pavement wear and tear, resulting in more maintenance cost to taxpayers, more potholes that can cause accidents, and more serious injuries during collisions.

Consider that an electric Ford F-150 Lightning weighs at least 1,000 pounds more than a gas-powered F-150. An industry norm called the fourth power law reveals even a small vehicle weight increase at least doubles the road damage. EVs cause five times more damage. The kicker is that EV drivers don’t pay the gas taxes that fund road repairs, so Americans are subsidizing EV drivers in more ways than one.

Since EVs are so much heavier, they also wear out tires and brakes faster, creating more atmospheric particulate matter, which is a far more dangerous form of pollution than carbon dioxide. These nanoparticles enter the bloodstream and can cause heart attacks and strokes. An analysis by Emissions Analytics finds particulate matter pollution from tire wear is 1,000 times greater than from gas-powered vehicle emissions.

Due to these EV black eyes, Americans are increasingly avoiding them, and EVs are piling up on dealer lots. Yet the Biden-Harris administration is putting its thumb on the scale to require Americans to drive them. Last year, the Environmental Protection Agency released a rule requiring two-thirds of new cars sold to be EVs by 2032.

This mandate not only hurts consumers but threatens the American auto industry and its workers. About 20% of Michigan’s workforce is tied to the auto industry. The Biden-Harris administration’s EV mandate is a giant middle finger to the Great Lakes State and most traditional auto workers in America.

This regulation also forces American manufacturers to be more reliant on China, where most of the mining for the minerals needed for the batteries occurs. Importantly, China has significantly less stringent environmental protections in place, further hurting the environment.

This isn’t to say electric vehicles are all bad. Let car companies compete in the free market system. The government should simply refrain from betting our tax dollars on their often bad ideas.

Micromanaging U.S. businesses is the theme of this Biden-Harris administration and forcing electric cars into all of our driveways won’t work. The economic damage of mandates like this will accelerate under a Kamala Harris administration.

Gary Rabine is the founder and CEO of the Rabine Group, and a partner of the Job Creators Network Foundation.