Am I going crazy of has the amount of anti-EV “articles” started to skyrocket. Just today, I’ve seen a “Why I’m not buying an EV” concern article, some accusing Biden of killing EVs, “The true costs of buying an EV,” and my favorite: “Study: The True Cost of Charging an EV: $17/gallon.” (That study was funded by Exxon Mobil, lol).
What’s going on? Why is all the EV hate in the media ramping up?
Oil companies see the end is coming for them. They are making a desperate attempt to stop progress.
Yes. Most newspapers & related media can’t afford real journalists anymore. So the hacks take the PR releases, rewrite them a little and send them out. What you’re seeing is pure unadulterated BS from the oil companies. They know it’s gamel over for them.
They’re all effing idiots.
(Assuming we’re talking about US-based oil companies)
In other parts of the world, oil companies are refocusing as energy companies and spreading their focus to hydro, solar, wind, wave, and so on.
Also, where do they think the power to charge all those EVs are coming from?
It’s NOT just appearing out of the blue. Well, wind and solar maybe…
There’s also the fact that we’ll have a need for liquid fuels for a long time still, so the end isn’t near for them. Unfortunately.
It’ll take a long time before shipping becomes independent of oil.
Sure, we’ve got over 80 car ferries running solely on electricity here in Norway, But those generally have routes with no more than 30minutes sailing time. and 1.2MW contactless chargers on the docks…
That’s not going to amount for much with a Panamax or larger cargo ship is it?
In defense, hybrids would be better than full EVs push
But it is interesting how many dummies fall for it. The typical people that you’d expect. The ones that fall for everything and don’t understand there’s a difference between NBC Nightly News and some guy on a YouTube video saying dumb shit.
The tide has turned though so any skeptics have friends like us that drive EVs so we counter the propaganda easily.
People don’t just fall for it, they teach others. My daughter came home from school and told me about her classmate who started in on her when that classmate found out we have an entirely EV household. All the usual myths plus some brand new stuff only kids (or Alex Jones) could make up. I took it as a learning opportunity to do some critical thinking with her… But her classmate didn’t invent that on the spot; other parents are absorbing the disinformation and teaching it to their kids uncritically as a fact
I’d say it’s depressing but I’ve resigned myself to it just being human nature at this point.
The whole “clean coal” and “clean natural gas” propaganda reeks similarly to how companies spun cigarettes in the 20th century.
In many cases they’re using the same think tanks and PR firms so it’s really no surprise.
Imagine if you made the world’s best horse carriages in about 1910. Early model “horseless carriages” were unreliable, noisy, smelling and the road and fuel infrastructure was not well built out for many years. Horse owners probably felt pretty smug trotting by a Model T owner stuck in the mud or out of gas. They probably yelled “get a horse” as they trotted by.
Fossil fuels and internal combustion engines have had a really long run, but this is coming to an end. So the oil companies and conventional automotive groups who don’t have a compelling EV strategy are desperately trying to delay the transition to milk a few more years of profits out of consumers. So every customer that they manage to convince that EVs are unreliable, or don’t have enough range, or are too expensive, or lack infrastructure, or produce more pollution than conventional cars, etc. is another potential sale of their legacy, sunset products.
BTW - oil will never go away - we need petroleum products to produce most of our plastics, pharmaceuticals, fertilizers, etc. But as a transport fuel, it is a sunset industry.
carriage builders like pininfarina did just fine when automobiles came along, so far as styling was concerned good design always has a demand.
Last week I had dinner with a friend who works high up in corporate at a major oil company. They absolutely see the end coming not just based on theoretical stuff but in their current sales figures. I learned that California had already experienced peak gas. Miles traveled is back to pre covid levels but consumption has dropped thanks to EVs, WFH, etc.
So much more productive at home. We came back to the office a few days a week and I do zoom calls from a cubicle. WTF!
Haha this is me. Half the office is remote and I work with people across the country. There are times I would come in and only see the receptionist. It’s pointless for me.
The receptionist is only there to make reports and ship them. Government agencies want thier reports shipped in paper. It’s silly.