As EVs shed their virtue-signalling, they become nothing more – or less – than plain cars. The upside? They will be more acceptable to more people, David Berman writes.Illustration by Glenn Harvey
I sometimes wonder just how much my electric vehicle is a billboard for whatever values are rattling around my soul.
Am I worried about climate change? Absolutely. Do I embrace innovation? I try. Am I motivated by cheap overnight electricity? You got that right.
Oh, and am I willing to take a $5,000 government handout to help finance a big purchase? Duh.
But the values that EVs are projecting have grown awfully murky in recent months.
It began when President Donald Trump signed an executive order to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement, a pledge among nations to fight climate change.
He has also ordered a review of policies that favour EV sales, including financial incentives that are examples of – according to an executive order – “ill-conceived government-imposed market distortions.”
EVs, in Mr. Trump’s view, are not solutions.
But the EV image makeover only starts there. What’s arguably more important is that Elon Musk, chief executive officer of Tesla Inc. TSLA-Q, the company that got the EV ball rolling in North America, has gone from quirky to disturbing.
He’s gutting the U.S. bureaucracy, which is making him a villain among many Americans. He offered full-throated support of Germany’s hard-right political party, Alternative for Germany, in that country’s recent election. And he made that weird salute on Mr. Trump’s inauguration day.
A police officer wraps up police tape from a Tesla dealership that was vandalized with pink paint in Montreal on March 19.Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press
Now, many Tesla owners are left in an uncomfortable position of wondering if their EVs are tacit approval of Mr. Musk’s bizarre behaviour. Recent vandalism of Tesla vehicles in the United States and Canada may explain why some owners have tried to distance themselves with bumper stickers that declare, for example, “I bought this before Elon went crazy.”
I drive a Hyundai Ioniq 5, so I’ve been spared any direct association with Mr. Musk.
Nonetheless, I’m starting to wonder what image my EV is projecting. Environmentalism and progressive values have been tossed out the window. Perhaps my hazard lights are now blinking “libertarian, libertarian, libertarian” – or something worse.
Some car buyers may be wondering: Is an EV the sort of vehicle I want to own today, when a gas-powered Civic or RAV4 will get me through any political traffic jam?
It’s a tough one to answer. But here’s what I’m hoping for: As EVs shed their virtue-signalling, they become nothing more – or less – than plain cars.
The upside? They will be more acceptable to more people.
I think that’s a good thing. For EVs to take the next step toward wider adoption, they have to appeal to car buyers regardless of where these consumers stand on the environment, or anything else.
EVs can make this important transition for one simple reason: They are great for most people most of the time.
I haven’t met an EV owner yet who regrets their purchase. Some wonder aloud why they waited so long to make the switch. I can’t think of a reason why I’d ever return to a gas-powered car other than, perhaps, a zombie apocalypse.
Sure, there’s the higher upfront cost and some inconveniences on long road trips, where frequent charging adds time.
But there’s also the thrill of cheap and convenient at-home charging, low maintenance issues and wickedly fast – and silent – acceleration. You don’t need to be a tree-hugging progressive to appreciate these advantages.
There is another reason why shifting political winds might be good for EVs. With incentives dying out, EVs will no longer be vulnerable to the criticism that they only exist because of lefty government subsidies.
In January, the Canadian government’s $5,000 incentive program ended. Among provinces, Ontario’s incentives are long gone, and Quebec is now winding down its own. The U.S. government’s US$7,500 in federal tax credits are in Mr. Trump’s crosshairs.
The end of incentives could make EVs more expensive and weigh on sales in the near term. The development of low-cost EVs – the Holy Grail for wide adoption – might take longer.
But if there is a level playing field with gas-powered vehicles, much of the rhetoric lobbed against EVs should subside. That should make the transition from gas to electric as apolitical as, say, cutting a landline and embracing a smartphone.
What’s more, the complaint that EVs are being forced on consumers should also fade away under the new political climate.
Mr. Trump amplified this complaint in his inauguration speech in January when he said that, under his leadership, “You’ll be able to buy the car of your choice.”
Surprise surprise, Mr. Trump’s promise is based on a falsehood about car-buying choices, because today’s consumers have plenty of choice.
Despite long-term targets for zero-emission car sales, the current default is still gas-powered cars. They are cheaper than EVs based on the upfront cost, they are more readily available, and they enjoy a reliable and fully developed refuelling network.
Mr. Trump’s rhetoric should at least comfort car buyers in knowing that they aren’t facing an ultimatum. They are free to buy what they want, and for whatever reasons. So, if my EV is broadcasting anything about my values, it has been reduced to a very simple message: I like my car.