I like to consider myself a fairly level headed EV advocate who believes and lives the fact that electric vehicles are the future of sustainable transport. I drive a Volt and I have a low numbered Canadian Tesla Model 3 reservation, but there are some who would consider me a hypocrite because of how my driveway currently looks:
So, what would some consider wrong with this picture?
1) The Volt - Some people look down on the Volt because it is a "Hybrid" and not a "True EV" - I chose the Volt because I really wanted to go electric, but did not have deep enough pockets for a Tesla Model S and my commute was too long to allow me to purchase a Leaf or any of the other BEVs on the market. I drive it as close to like an EV as I can with my commute being 100% electric in the summer and approximately 70% electric in the winter.
I think any effort to move to a more efficient vehicle, be it an efficient gas car, hybrid, plug-in hybrid or early BEV should be applauded. I have a friend at work that drives 120km one way to work, he bought a Prius as it would use less gas overall than a Volt. Even a Model 3 might not meet his winter time commute needs so I think his choice of a Prius is equally as commendable as my purchase of a Volt or someone else's purchase of a Tesla, Leaf or other BEV.
The transition to fully electric vehicles will come in time, you aren't a horrible person if you have decided a BEV is not yet the right fit for you. Even the Tesla Model 3 and Chevrolet Bolt will probably not meet the needs or financial restrictions of 80% of the North American population. The vehicles that will, will come. After all the purpose of today's EVs and the EVs of the immediate future are, to paraphrase what Elon Musk said about the purpose of Tesla; to advance the adoption of Electric vehicles, not replace every gas car currently known to man immediately. It's a marathon, not a sprint.
2) The Aveo - "AKA. OMG THERE IS A GAS CAR IN YOUR DRIVEWAY!" - That is my wife's car, she is just as much behind an EV future as I am and also holds a Tesla Model 3 reservation; but she earns a bit less than I do and for now, that is the car we can afford for her. it gets OK fuel economy and at almost 200,000km on the clock it doesn't owe us anything. We hope in two years we will be able to afford being a two Tesla household, but for now we will keep that Aveo running and not draw on and additional unnecessary resources to replace it with a new gas car or a temporary electric car solution that we can't really afford.
Thats the reality for lots of gas car owners right now, a current electric vehicle might not tick all the boxes such as affordability, space (my Volt is pretty small and only seats 4), etc. Cars for those people will come and those that swear they will never own an electric car or that an electric car will never meet their needs will come around. Remember, there were people who swore they would never give up the horse and carriage.
3) The Motorcycle - I like riding, it is a fun, exhilarating pastime that helps me de-stress and gives me a gas engine vehicle to maintain and work on as I am still a gear head at heart. There is still something about a gasoline engine connected through a clutch to a manual gear box that brings man together with machine in an completely unexplainable way. I don't get that with my Volt.
Yes, it runs on gas, but I don't put a ton of mileage on it and it is great on fuel, I don't believe that people continuing to use gasoline in recreational pursuits such as motorcycles, ATVs and collector cars are going to destroy the planet, and compelling electric versions of these will come in time. Converting the majority of the commuting vehicles and trucks to electric is what is going to contribute to saving the planet. I just don't think an electric future involves banning the gasoline engine, they will just end up as recreational toy vehicles for those who can afford it.
There are electric motorcycles out there, but A) I can't afford a $20,000 bike and B) Fast charging bikes don't exist yet taking away the majority of the freedom that comes with owning a motorcycle. I will convert one day, just not yet.
So moving on to the "crazy" I alluded to in the title. There is a subset of "fanatical" EV owners that I feel bring a bad name to the EV crowd. They put stickers on their cars like this:
And this:
And they run poorly formatted, impossible to read websites ranting about electric cars. I won't link to the one I am referring to as I don't wish to send them additional traffic, but they aren't hard to find.
Do the style of the signs remind you of these guys?
If they do, join the club. Unfortunately the few on the fringe tend to be the most visible and most vocal and tend to make the rest of us look like slightly unhinged fanatics when it comes to electric vehicles and in my opinion that only works to slow the advancement and adoption of electric vehicles by the masses.
So how can we turn up the energy on electric vehicle adoption while turning down the crazy?
- Talk, don't argue. AKA Don't feed the trolls. Share your experiences and educate others, but don't start fights and don't get defensive. There are those who you are never going to be able to convince until the day an electric vehicle is the only thing they can drive off the new car lot and there are tons of people for who an electric vehicle simply does not yet work. Most of us made a compromise or two to own the electric vehicle we currently own, we can't expect everyone to. Getting all bent out of shape and angry on internet forums and Facebook helps nobody.
- Lead by example. If you can afford one and can make the compromises necessary to own a current BEV or Plug In Hybrid and are on the fence, take the leap. We need to see more of these cars on the road and in the driveways of our friends and family to make EVs more commonplace and less alien. If you already on a BEV or Plug in Hybrid, take your friends, family and co-workers for rides, it is the least you can do.
- Realize that not everyone can own an electric car, yet. There are many valid reasons to not own an electric car or be planning to buy one in the next 5 years such as cost and functionality. The person who can only afford 5k used cars can't buy an EV right now, the person who needs to haul things in his F-150 for work can't yet buy an electric car and the person who drives most of the day for work and does not yet have convenient L3 charging options available to them can't yet buy an electric car. Vehicles that suit these people will come in time and more attractive looking vehicles will come before that for all the people who's hangup is the "look" of today's EVs. Don't look down on these people and remember the point above. Lead by example and be respectful.
- Push for Charging Infrastructure. Even if you don't own an EV yet, you probably will one day, so why not push for the infrastructure necessary to make EVs successful? Talk to your employer, the owners of the business you frequent and all levels of government in your life and push for them to install chargers on their property. This again plays into visibility that will makes others think that their next car could be an EV and helps others take that necessary "leap"
- Just don't be Crazy!. There is no need to accuse people of willfully poisoning children and destroying the planet. These things don't cross the mind of the average person; the only people we can maybe point that finger at are the coal rolling diesel truck owners and they are a special case.
So lets turn up the energy on EV adoption and turn down the crazy at the same time! Everyone is a future EV owner and we want them on our side, not trying to avoid eye contact with the slightly unhinged crazy guy rambling on the street corner.
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