USA Today can't help itself when fact-checking story rated as "True" on a very expensive hybrid car battery replacement

Chevy Volt in Skokie, IL in 2015

Recently the owner of a Chevrolet Volt needed a new battery for his 2012 model. The cost to replace it? Nearly $30,000 according to a Chevy dealership.

You might have seen a photo of the repair estimate on your social media feed, as it has been widely shared. 

The dealership verified the veracity of the photo of that estimate. Which of course means the story is true. I am sorry that I have to phrase it that way, but there are a lot of dopey people out there.

Now the fact-checkers are involved. USA Today's fact-checking propagandist, Chris Mueller, while rating the report as "True," but his analysis is accompanied by this headline, "Fact check: Dealership quoted $30,000 for new hybrid car battery, but that's unusually high."

That's true too, but Mueller apparently has a narrative to protect: Hybrid cars are good, fully electric cars are better, conventional gasoline-powered vehicles are bad. 

The Volt was discontinued by General Motors in 2018, replaced by the fully-electric Chevy Bolt. Only an aftermarket battery is available for that unlucky Volt owner, according to Mueller. Shame on GM--the average age of a vehicle currently on the road in 11 years. 

Again, that's the average age. 

Electric and hybrid cars very well might be the future of personal transportation. But the future isn't here yet.