Freedom Fuel

Remember when “Freedom Fuel” was unveiled just a few weeks ago as the answer to high gas prices? Hot dogs, apple pie and a promise of $3.47 gasoline? Right.

The mystery behind Trump’s hyped-up “Freedom Fuel” gas stations turned out to be just another MAGA gimmick shrouded behind a shell game. A duo of New Jersey businessmen with connections to the Republican party formed the network of gas stations on the east coast offering discount prices, according to Politico.

Freedom Fuel Network claims on its website that it is a “privately owned and proudly patriotic company—along with its convenience store operators, haulers, sign companies, and operational partners—that answered President Trump’s call to action to lower prices at the pump.”

Baltimore Ravens assistant coach Randy Brown and former commodities trader Yoni Gontownik incorporated Freedom Fuels just a week before President Donald Trump touted it on social media.

A third businessman, Shamikh Kazmi, linked to the Freedom Fuel network has faced multiple legal disputes over his seemingly shady business practices. In one case, a federal judge ordered his company to pay a distributor after allegations it took $667,000 worth of fuel without fully paying for it. Kamzi denied the claims, but the judge entered a default judgment after slamming the defendants for repeatedly failing to comply with court rules.

Hmmm, maybe you can sell fuel more cheaply than market price. Just steal it!

But seriously, analysts had warned that the heavily discounted gas prices were economically unrealistic without someone taking serious losses. Patrick De Haan, GasBuddy’s head of petroleum analysis, remarked that “when losses happen, somebody’s got to pay for it.” I think it’s safe to say that anyone associated with Donald Trump is allergic to taking losses (unless they’re lobbying for a pardon).

The bargain prices from the first few days quickly disappeared. Many Freedom Fuel stations raised prices within days, just as anyone with two brain cells to rub together predicted would happen. Selling gasoline well below market rates turned out to be less of an economic revolution than a promotional gimmick (which is very on-brand for Trump-associated businesses). Experts had warned that the discounts were likely unsustainable, and the bargain price proved to be just another bait and switch wrapped in empty slogans.

But let’s cut to the heart of the matter. Oil dependence has never represented energy freedom. Every gallon of gas we pump ties us to a global commodity, and the price can jump overnight because of a refinery fire on the Gulf Coast, an OPEC production curb, or perhaps (just spitballing), an idiotic war launched on a whim.

Presidential candidates often campaign on lowering gas prices, but it’s always been a false promise. Presidents have very few levers to influence gas prices, especially in the short term. They can plead with oil companies, pressure foreign governments, release strategic reserves, but those actions rarely have a lasting impact on prices.

Real energy freedom looks different. It means plugging your car into an outlet in your own garage. I speak from experience. I’m currently leasing a plug-in hybrid powered by rooftop solar. My next car will be fully electric.

An EV doesn’t require regular trips to the gas station. Most charging happens at home using electricity generated from a diverse mix of sources, including natural gas, nuclear, hydroelectric, wind, solar and others. That diversity makes the electric grid more resilient and far less dependent on any single fuel than a vehicle that runs on gas.

Ironically, if someone wanted to promote a product worthy of the name “Freedom Fuel,” they’d probably skip the pump altogether. The freest energy is the kind you can produce yourself. Put solar panels on your roof and your car runs on sunshine. Even without solar, electricity can come from dozens of competing sources instead of one globally-traded commodity.

I realize electric vehicles aren’t perfect. Batteries are expensive, charging infrastructure needs to be expanded, and they’re not the right fit for everyone. But they’re moving transportation in a direction that actually increases individual energy independence instead of merely changing the colors on the gas station to red, white and blue.

The absurd irony of the Freedom Fuel campaign is that the oldest transportation technology we have is wrapped in the flag, while rejecting anything that’s genuinely disrupting America’s dependence on gas.

A real patriotic energy campaign wouldn’t push Americans to even more oil dependence. It would push them away from it. But given that this the same administration that ended Biden-era federal subsidies for EVs and directed $2.5 billion in taxpayer funds to buy out and terminate several offshore wind leases, I won’t hold my breath.