Kamala Harris Demonstrates Electric Car Charger: ‘How Do I Know It’s Actually Working?’

C-SPAN

Vice President Kamala Harris promoted government spending on charging stations for electric vehicles on Monday, demonstrating the use of a car charger herself.

The vice president visited a car charging maintenance facility in Prince George’s County, Maryland outside of Washington, DC, to promote the use of electric vehicles.

During her visit, she asked if she could plug in one of the electric cars to see how it worked.

After plugging it in, she commented on the difference between an electric charger and a gas pump.

“There’s no sound or fume,” she said, standing by the car holding the plug into the vehicle. “So all of us who are used to filling our tanks, we usually can smell it and you can hear it, and you can hear the guzzling sound. None of that.”

“So how do I know it’s actually working?” she continued with a laugh.

The worker briefing Harris assured her that the charger was working if it was plugged in.

Vice President Kamala Harris is briefed about a government electric vehicle fleet in Brandywine, Md., on Monday. Photo by Michael Reynolds/UPI

Vice President Kamala Harris is briefed about a government electric vehicle fleet in Brandywine, Md., on Monday. (Michael Reynolds/UPI)

“But how would I know that?” she asked. “Tell me how I would know that.”

The worker pointed out that the charger would blink green until it was fully charged.

Harris spoke about the importance of charging station equity, making sure that rural and apartment building complexes could get charging stations.

“If you can’t charge it up, then it doesn’t matter if you can’t drive it. Right? You can’t get to where you need to go,” she said.

Harris also promoted the idea of all electric chargers using the same plug to charge at different stations.

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks on Monday next to an electric vehicle during a visit to Brandywine, Md. Photo by Michael Reynolds/UPI

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks against a backdrop of  electric vehicles during a visit to Brandywine, Md. (Michael Reynolds/UPI)

“We’re experiencing this when you look at your smartphone, right? At all the different plugs you might need for different devices?” she said.

The vice president also delivered a speech on the administration’s effort to offer a $12,500 tax credit for Americans who bought union-made electric vehicles

“Here’s the bottom line – we want more families in Americans to afford an electric car that was made in America,” she said.

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