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 electric either. If I had to do it again, I would do it again without hesitation. I am convinced of the benefits of electric. But what I didn’t know at the time was the fact of having to integrate willy-nilly a form of sect (for some). I am going to try to analyze this new social phenomenon in which I am now a new actor.
About this article
This is a feedback on the daily electric car and the societal impact it entails. I’ve 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. I try here to analyze this disturbing phenomenon.
Without knowing it and without really wanting it, the purchase of my Tesla was going to get me into the electric car camp. I was going to enter the arena which opposes the thermal pros to electric pros. 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 put forward surprising facts, untruths that are very far from reality and above all full of clichés. A person asks me how I manage to drive in winter without turning on the heating, or if I have no problem of conscience buying an electric vehicle whose materials come from mines that employ children.
This kind of clichés and lies exasperate me to the highest point… Clearly, 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 can then climb the towers ranging from simple verbal jousts on social networks or discussions at aperitif to insults, taunts even attacks and vandalism. This can be the daily life of some electro-mobilists. 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 thermal car an abomination that must be put to an end? And if the verbal sparring ignites the canvas, 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 the moment) and for me, this law banning the sale of new thermal cars in Europe in 2035 is partly responsible for this growing escalation of hostilities. This law is for some like the François-Ferdinand of Austria of tomorrow’s mobility, the act that triggers everything. A knell that marks the end of a certain era which some would like to stay there longer. But why ?
Before that, electro-mobilists were considered marginal, green sores as some would say wanting to change the world by adopting 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. We are not going to lie to each other, finding an advertisement 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 to the great misfortune of some users who see there the end of a myth.
The adoption of this climate law is therefore in a way the starting point of this unhealthy rivalry between anti-ve and pro ve. To be convinced of this, just read the comments of users under any publication dealing directly or indirectly with the electric car. By the way, this will also be the case under this publication!
This is a new societal problem that is beginning to gain momentum, the fight for which should see its climax by 2035, the date on which new thermal cars will no longer be authorized 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. For starters, the purchase price. Much higher than a thermal car, the price is the first obstacle for the French. Despite the bonuses and other aids, an EV is far too expensive. Then make the link with the different autonomy of a thermal and we have there the fertile ground of a certain animosity with the electric: the users however eager to acquire one find themselves 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 diesels have accustomed us to having large capacities that can greatly exceed 1000 km. This figure has become magical. It has become a necessary standard for some, a comfort zone in short.
Electric cars have very different characteristics from their thermal counterparts. They are therefore displayed with much less autonomy than their ancestors. And that’s where the whole problem lies. 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 trip regularly?
According to the SDES statistical data and studies service, on average, a car trip takes 19 minutes and 63% of French people use it to get around daily. This corresponds to nearly 36 kilometers per day. A figure that has remained relatively stable over the past 30 years.
The complexity of the responsible electric car?
A thermal, when its tank is empty, must refuel at a service station and it’s more or less always the same ritual. On an electric car, it’s different: there are several ways to fill up with kWh.
Charging at home, on a public terminal, free terminal in supermarkets, superchargers with just as many subscription cards and modes of operation having on top of that prices that can go from simple to double. Clearly, there’s plenty to get tangled up in and it’s one of the most confusing aspects of electric cars. This is something that will have to be changed and normalized. Add to that the problems of broken terminals which can make your journeys complicated.
Incivility on the rise
However, another phenomenon is beginning to gain momentum: incivility, 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 power of a form of anti-EV hatred with the aim of making life hell for electric car owners: terminals squatted by thermal cars, degraded or even destroyed terminals, cables torn from charging cars, scratches, thrown projectiles or even insults … so many things that can make life complicated for electromobilists.
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 state of the bollards and the incivilities around them, I also see a form of anti-Tesla hatred. I myself was the victim some time ago of insults and the throwing of projectiles at my car.
Two places for VE squatted by thermal cars
I am unfortunately not the only one to notice 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 type of incivility. The Teslas have the advantage of having cameras which constantly film the environment of the car and allow capture in images these daily delinquencies. But on the anti-EV side, things are also organized around social networks, in particular with operations to organize blockages of Tesla or Ionity Superchargers.
Note that these blockages can be expensive. The provisions of article R.417-10 of the Highway Code are very clear: if you are not authorized to park on these spaces, you are liable to a fine for inconvenient parking, ie 35 euros. As with parking in a space reserved for disabled people, you expose yourself to removal by the pound.
The only solution to calm the situation is not to overbid and try to dialogue as much as possible. All the clichés about the electric car are easily demonstrable. There are many official documents that explain in detail the benefits of this mode 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-suction car stickers, but this is clearly not the solution to adopt, because it is simply prohibited. The most peaceful solution remains dialogue.
Anti-car suction cup stickers abound, but it’s forbidden…
Clearly, the electric car is not about to stop and its market share is constantly increasing against, conversely, a decrease in sales of diesel vehicles. 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 of 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.
