Enough with the car shaming
A few weeks ago, an article appeared in The Guardian, a British newspaper. It was written by Rowan Atkinson, best known for playing Mr. Bean and Johnny English and rightly known as a master of slapstick comedy, but a man who also holds an engineering degree and is a well-known and well-respected name in the automotive and motorsport industry.
This article, entitled I love electric vehicles — and was an early adopter. But increasingly I feel duped, highlights the current mid-evolution state of electric cars and how the author believes that, currently, they’re more “fast-fashion” and an ending “honeymoon” period rather than a solution that will stand the test of time.
This isn’t a long piece. It took me five minutes to read, surrounded by the distractions of the home.
Yet, in this short timeframe, Mr. Atkinson highlights several things that many others think but are too scared to say. In the process, he incurred the wrath of internet environmentalists, with articles and papers suddenly appearing everywhere to discount the man’s viewpoints and reputation as a professional.
Now, I agree with pretty much everything Mr. Atkinson stated. However, this page isn’t really about whether or not he was right. It’s a consideration expressing concern about our lack of individual reasoning and logical thought.
The topic of the environment, specifically how to save it, should be governed by enthusiastic, intelligent thought. Instead, all we seem to see is both sides shouting at each other and potentially leaving our planet to rot.
What is car shaming?
Honestly, I don’t even know if ‘car shaming’ is a real thing or if it’s a phrase I’ve made up, trend-setter that I am. (The sarcasm should be boiling off the screen here.)
I imagine that the concept of shaming someone for their vehicle isn’t new. I’ve heard it a lot and probably engaged in it myself, I’m sorry to admit.
A scornful look at the neighbour’s pickup truck, half the size of yours. A flashy new Ferrari in the driveway next to the dumpy Civic next door. The BMW cruising along next to the minivan. The Tesla storming away at the stop light.
Today, though, the most common car shaming I come across, by far, is electric vs. fossil fuels. In both directions and with equal vehemence, I might add.
The news headlines on my phone are more often than not all about the ridiculousness and impracticality of EVs or the ignorance and stupidity of a gas-guzzling Mustang.
This constant warring doesn’t help. It doesn’t make me pick a side. In fact, it actually puts me off the entire debate, even though it’s quite serious. These headlines and provocative statements are aimed at an existing audience. In short, they’re propaganda, not a legitimate discussion.
It takes two to fight
I’ve seen several instances of ‘coal rolling’, where a driver invokes a large internal combustion engine to spit out thick smoke onto an EV (usually a Tesla). Inevitably, half the population finds this hilarious, while the other half takes great offence.
I see both sides.
On the other hand, if you start reading some of these EV-focused blogs and magazines, you’d think they were in a war against oil, a classic reincarnation of good vs. evil, the definition of a righteous crusade against a tyrannical dictator. These ideas pander to environmentalists and leave the petrol drivers isolated.
Again, I see both sides.
My point is this: it takes two to fight. If we could just sit down and have a reasoned discussion, would we not arrive at a sensible conclusion?
Mr. Atkinson’s article in The Guardian was a perfectly reasonable expression of concerns. Agree or disagree, making it an emotionally charged battle or bringing about personal slanders against the man is entirely unwarranted.
Once again, that goes both ways!
Can’t we have a simple chat?
Perhaps you agree with me: I’m fed up with this constant warring.
Because yes, we need to develop more sustainable transportation mindsets. That much is clear. But you also cannot force the entire population to immediately adopt new, unproven technology in a relatively risky investment.
For example, I live on a farm in the Canadian countryside. In other words, all my journeys are relatively long, and it gets somewhat chilly in winter. Just the other day, as a storm passed through, temperatures dropped from 15 degrees C to -15 degrees C (with wind chill) in ten hours. A battery electric vehicle (BEV) will not cope well in these circumstances — and neither would I, as its owner.
Nope. For now, with infrastructure incapable of supporting demand, I am forced to continue driving a gasoline-burning Hyundai around. It’s not that I’m against EVs, per se — certainly not on principle. But I can’t possibly justify the expense against the practicality. Not yet, at least.
Who are we supposed to trust?
This endless fighting between extreme views on both sides — electrification and the old, fossil-fuel-based ways of doing things — frustrates me. Because I don’t know who to trust.
I’ve been writing about the automotive industry for years, and I still don’t have a clue. Every study yields a polar opposite conclusion to its predecessor. If it’s carried out by an EV-adopting manufacturer, it magically concludes that these vehicles will save the world. If the research is done by oil supporters, they conclude that EVs will make no difference to the world’s climate solution and cost far too much in the long run.
It’s these kinds of issues, along with doubts about the true effectiveness of BEVs in saving the planet, that Mr. Atkinson highlights concerns about. And, let’s be clear, he might be right. I don’t have a clue who to trust these days. But isn’t a discussion about these points well worth having? Instead of a hate fest?
These days, “eco-friendly” and “green” are nothing more than marketing terms — and literally everyone uses them. I’m a writer, so I know. It takes far more than someone ‘telling me what to believe’ for me to think it’s accurate. And, to reiterate yet again, that applies to everyone and everything, whether someone stands by EVs or ICEs or, like most people, doesn’t really care that much right now.
So, I believe I speak for the average person when I say if people would stop mindlessly fighting and present arguments in a calm, logical way, I would listen. But as it is right now, I don’t. And because I don’t know who to believe or who to trust, I will stick with what I know works.
That is not my long-term plan, but it’s all I feel able to do right now.
