The White House has turned to strict emissions standards in order to get electric vehicles from the current 7% of new auto sales to 50% by 2032. But as the national gas price finally dipped below $4, it’s just one less incentive to consider purchasing an electric vehicle. In the current infrastructure and economy, the real-world cost of powering an electric vehicle is still far greater than comparable internal combustion engines, and the hidden costs are many.

Remember the old saying, “Time is money?" Well, most electric vehicle drivers need up to a full day to charge a fully depleted electric car battery. Even rapid partial charges take five to ten times longer than it takes to fill up a gas tank. What’s more, depending on where one lives, most people won't want their car to get below about a 20% charge and risk being stranded somewhere they can’t recharge, so the true usable range is much less than advertised. While electric vehicle owners can proactively “top off” batteries daily, longer commutes throw that out the window (let alone typical family road trips).

After factoring in any significant cold or hot weather reducing battery efficiency, plus the necessary air heating or cooling in such conditions, the outlook for battery draw and reduced mileage is quite sobering. HVAC use at 20 degrees Fahrenheit results in an average 41% decrease in driving range. In the heat, drivers are discouraged from charging past 80% because the higher charge increases internal resistance, raising the battery temperature and straining the unit. Electric car owners are encouraged to lighten their load, turn down the stereo and A/C, and avoid parking in the sun to maximize battery usage. Maintaining battery levels becomes a tedious full-time job.

As of now, we haven’t developed infrastructure for charging stations, and there’s no foreseeable path for getting there soon. There’s not one on every corner like there are gas stations and, to complicate matters, cars don’t have the same charging needs . It should also be noted the power output decreases when more than one car is hooked up. A charge at home is more convenient and less expensive, but this, too, comes with hidden costs. It's often overlooked that home charging increases electrical bills and often costs thousands in electrical prep work.

More vehicles charging on the grid means we’ll need to improve grid capacity and quality. Such costs will be passed on to every user of electricity, not just electric vehicle owners, so home electric bills will skyrocket. It’s also likely we’ll need to see allocated — even rationed — charging times. We can’t have most people in the same neighborhood arriving home from work within the same hour and then plugging in their vehicles. In a hot-climate community where the power is already turned on and off to accommodate air conditioning demand, something has to give.

Electric vehicle prices are also bearing the toll of inflation more than other vehicles. In the past year, the average price of an electric vehicle jumped by $10,000 due to rising costs of raw materials such as lithium and nickel. Furthermore, taxpayers still subsidize thousands of dollars for each electric vehicle sold. It’s likely because of complications such as these that despite President Joe Biden’s financially backed push for more electric vehicles and chargers, only 7% of new cars sold in the U.S. are electric, about 18% of electric car owners go back to gas-powered vehicles, and 78% of electric vehicle owner households also have a second gas-powered vehicle.

It’s understandable to long for a day when America and the rest of the free world can be liberated from reliance on Middle Eastern and Russian oil and gas. Electric vehicles can potentially play a significant role in one day making this dream a reality. But not only are we not there yet, but we’re not even close. The freedom of mobility that has made the American way of life the envy of the world depends on practical affordability. As the hidden costs of a hasty switch to an all-electric future are revealed and continue to mount, it’s time to pump the brakes.

Robert E. Norton III is vice president and general counsel for Hillsdale College. He was assistant general counsel at Chrysler and in-house counsel for various automotive suppliers.