A recent article at Forbes reports on a concerning situation: renewed attempts to sabotage the EV market. Similar to the original Who Killed The Electric Car? moment, there are efforts to derail and dismantle EVs so that vested interests can continue to profit.
While some of the coverage around this problem is sensational (blaming Mr. Bean for everything), there is still significant misinformation circulating about EVs. Not only have there been issues with the spread of false information, but governments are making policy decisions based on that misinformation. When the public becomes misinformed and elects leaders who align with that misinformation, it leads to poor policy outcomes.
And note that we didn’t say bad. We said piss poor, as in the movie Armageddon. It can be called bad if it results in some short-term suffering or requires billions of dollars to rectify. However, when the future of humanity is at stake and individuals are deliberately acting in ways that prioritize short-term gain or political power, the term “piss poor” may not adequately capture the severity of the situation.
It’s often said that hydrogen is the fuel of the future, and always will be. If you catch our drift, you get it. If not, it’s akin to the concept of “mañana” in New Mexico. Tomorrow never comes because tomorrow is always the next day. It’s like when a man’s wife asks when he’s going to take the trash out or fix that leaky faucet: “Soon.”
While the world grapples with charging infrastructure (a genuine issue!), hydrogen is not coming to the rescue. Not only is building out hydrogen infrastructure more challenging (electricity is already almost everywhere, while hydrogen requires a replication of gasoline and diesel infrastructure), but the challenges are proving to be insurmountable. Companies are shuttering hydrogen fueling stations everywhere, leaving drivers stranded.
So, when people say that the automotive industry is turning away from EVs, they are spinning a tale from the mirror universe where Spock and Kirk wear goatees and the Enterprise is a ship committing unspeakable acts of genocide and terror. In that universe, the good guys are the bad guys and the bad guys are the good guys. Oil companies are winning, and clean energy is losing.
But, this is about more than just deception or manipulation. The consequences are very real. If they can convince us that the bad guys are winning, the future of humanity is thrown into doubt. Instead of becoming a force for good in the cosmos, we’ll be fortunate just to leave the planet and would become a galactic menace if we somehow manage to do so.
Renewables and EVs put people in control. They offer an opportunity for individuals to make decisions that collectively lead to a better future. It’s a form of democracy. However, if we allow ourselves to be misled into thinking that hydrogen is the winner and then make it the victor, the fossil fuel companies get to gloss over their operations and maintain energy markets that resemble a centralized oligarchy.
It’s not an exaggeration to say that this is a choice between the world people like Putin and Xi want and the world that the rest of us desire. Therefore, it’s no surprise that those who support the Putins of the world are working tirelessly to warp our perceptions into that alternate reality.
Featured image: the logo for Star Trek’s Terran Empire, an evil vision for the future of humanity that exists in a parallel universe. Fair Use, Commentary.
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