A hell? Maybe not in the way you imagine, because let’s be clear, I love my Tesla Model 3 and I never regret my purchase. I don’t regret my switch to electricity either. If I had to do it again, I would do it again without hesitation. I am convinced of the advantages of electric. But what I didn’t know at the time was the fact that having to integrate some kind of cult (for some). I will try to analyze this new social phenomenon where I am now a new actor.
About this article
This is a feedback on the daily electric car and the social impact it entails. I have owned an electric car for over a year and the future is worrying. Incivility or other verbal attacks are more and more numerous towards electromobilists. Here I try to analyze this disturbing phenomenon.
Without knowing it and without really wanting it, the purchase of my Tesla should get me into the electric car camp. I had to enter the arena, which opposes thermal benefits for electrical professionals. Because whether we like it or not, owning an electric car brings us inexorably into this game. On a daily basis, curious people come to ask us questions, often very open to this new means of propulsion. On the program, always the same questions: what is the autonomy? How much does a refill cost? Etc. Some even present surprising facts, untruths that are very far from reality and above all full of clichés. Someone asks me how I manage to drive in winter without turning on the heat, or if I have no problem with my conscience buying an electric vehicle whose materials come from mines that employ children.
These kinds of clichés and lies annoy me to the highest point… It is clear that the electric car is not so ecological in their eyes. It is even dangerous. But why do they come to this conclusion ? Why does the electric car bother some people?
Discussions are possible climb the towers ranging from simple verbal duels on social networks or discussions at aperitif to insults, mockery even attacks and vandalism. This may be everyday life for some electric motorists. But why ? Why some people absolutely want to convince others of the benefits of its mode of propulsion ? Who is right? Is the electric car just a green fantasy doomed to failure? Or is the thermomobile an abomination that must be put an end to? And if the verbal sparring ignites the screen, it’s because it’s not that simple.
In 2035, the sale of thermal cars will be banned in Europe
It is factual. It’s done (for now) and for me, this law banning the sale of new thermo cars in Europe in 2035 is partly responsible for this growing escalation of hostilities. This law is, for some like François-Ferdinand of Austria, the mobility of tomorrow, the act that triggers everything. A crack that marks the end of a certain era that some would like to stay there longer. But why ?
Before that, electric vehicles were considered marginal, green wounds, some would say, that would change the world by introducing a new mode of propulsion. The electric car was not a danger. And people were free to adopt it or not.
This law therefore forces manufacturers and users to switch to the electric car with the effect of announcing more and more new 100% electric models on social networks and other specialized sites. Let’s not lie to each other, finding an ad for a non-electric car in 2022 is quite a feat.
All manufacturers are concerned, even those whose V8 sound is part of their DNA. Alpine, Porsche, Ferrari to name a few will have to go through the electrification box much to the dismay of some users who see the end of a myth.
The adoption of this climate law is therefore in a way the starting point for this unhealthy rivalry between anti-ve and evidence. To be convinced of this, just read the comments from users under any publication that directly or indirectly deals with the electric car. Incidentally, that will also be the case during this publication!
This is a new societal problem that is starting to gain momentum, and the fight for it should reach its climax in 2035, the date when new thermal cars will no longer be approved for sale…
Why are electric cars scary?
That’s really the question you have to ask yourself.. Why does the electric car have so many negative clichés? There are several reasons for all this. To begin with the purchase price. Much higher than a thermomobile, the price is the first obstacle for the French. Despite bonuses and other aids, an EV is far too expensive. Then make the connection with the different autonomy of a thermal, and we have there the fertility of a certain enmity with the electric: the users, however, eager to acquire one, become frustrated.
Blessed bread for those who seek to convince themselves that this type of car is ultimately not for them.
The second reason is linked to the notion of a vehicle’s autonomy. Thermals and mainly diesel engines have accustomed us to having large capacities that can exceed 1000 km. This figure has become magical. It has become a necessary standard for some, in short a comfort zone.
Electric cars have very different characteristics than their thermal counterparts. They are therefore shown with much less autonomy than their ancestors. And therein lies the whole problem. Some people refuse to change their perception of a vehicle’s range. They are convinced that they need these 1000 km. But how many people make this type of journey regularly?
According to SDES’s Statistical Data and Survey Service, there is an average a car journey takes 19 minutes and 63% of French people use it to get around daily. This corresponds to almost 36 kilometers per day. A number that has remained relatively stable over the past 30 years.
The complexity of the responsible electric car?
A thermo machine, when its tank is empty, needs to fill up at a gas station, and it’s more or less always the same ritual. In an electric car, it is different: There are several ways to fill kWh.
Charging at home, at a public terminal, free terminal in supermarkets, superchargers with as many subscription cards and modes of operation with, on top of that, prices that can go from simple to double. Obviously, there’s a lot to get wrapped up in, and it’s one of the most confusing aspects of electric cars. This is something that needs to be changed and normalized. Add to that the problems of broken terminals, which can make your travels complicated.
Incivility is on the rise
However, another phenomenon has begun to take off: rudeness, and they are as numerous as they are varied.. And that is what prompted me to write this article. For some time now, I have noticed a rise in the power of a form of anti-EV hatred aimed at making life hell for EV owners: terminals squatted by thermal cars, broken or even destroyed terminals, cables torn from charging cars, scratches, thrown projectiles or even insults … so many things that can make life complicated for electric motorists.
We have two electric cars in our household, a Tesla Model 3 and a Dacia Spring. If my wife and I notice the same thing about the condition of the bollards and the incivility around them, I also see some kind of anti-Tesla hate. I myself was subjected to insults and had projectiles thrown at my car a while ago.
A place for electric cars squatting by a thermomobile
Unfortunately, I’m not the only one noticing this kind of growing phenomenon. More and more initiatives on social networks show these incivilities with the hashtag #BalanceTaThermique. The YouTube channel “Wham Baam Teslacam” regularly broadcasts this kind of rudeness. The Teslas have the advantage of having cameras that constantly film the car’s environment and allow capture these everyday crimes in pictures. But on the anti-EV side, things are also organized around social networks, especially with operations to organize blockades of Tesla or Ionity Superchargers.
Note that these blocks can be expensive. The provisions of article R.417-10 of the Motorway Act are very clear: if you do not have permission to park in these spaces, you can be fined for inconvenient parking, i.e. 35 euros. As with parking in a space reserved for the disabled, you are putting yourself at risk of being ripped off by a pound.
The only solution to calm the situation is not to outbid and try to create dialogue as much as possible. All the clichés about the electric car are easily detectable. There are many official documents that explain in detail the advantages of this form of transport. The IPCC report is an excellent starting point. Those who doubt the ability of the French network to absorb so many electric cars can read the studies and projections made by RTE, our electricity transmission network manager. Some have the bad idea of using anti-suck car stickers, but this is clearly not the solution to adopt because it is simply prohibited. The most peaceful solution is continued dialogue.
Anti-car suction cup stickers abound, but it’s forbidden…
It is clear that the electric car is not stopping, and its market share is constantly increasing against the reverse of a decrease in the sales of diesel cars. Registration statistics prove it.
The electric car is one of the solutions against global warming. However, it is not the only key and completes a set of detailed solutions in the climate plan, which hopes for a global awareness among users. Electric or thermal, it is important to use our car as little as possible and to favor public transport, cycling or walking. We must gradually get out of this abundance and overconsumption.