Rowan Atkinson, who bought his first hybrid electric car 18 years ago and his first fully electric car nine years ago, has now declared: “Electric cars don’t seem to be the green panacea they’re made out to be.”
According to car enthusiast Atkinson, this is mainly due to lithium-ion batteries, which are found in almost all electric cars and are extremely heavy. Their production requires a lot of rare earth metals and a huge amount of energy, but they only last about 10 years.
This means that although electric cars do not produce emissions, they are not yet as environmentally efficient as many believe.
The 68-year-old actor criticized society’s attitude towards cars and called the car industry a participant in fast fashion culture. He pointed out that most car owners trade in and sell their cars every three years, mainly because of the popular three-year lease model.
Comparing it to his childhood, the actor noted that back then cars were rusted out and halfway to the dump after five years, whereas today a £15,000 car can last up to 30 years if properly maintained.
Atkinson sums up: “Friends who care about the environment often ask me, as a car enthusiast, whether it is worth buying an electric car for them. I usually answer – if their car is an old diesel and they often move around the city center, then they should think about changing. But in other cases, wait. The electric drive will one day really benefit the environment, but that day has not yet come.”
2023-06-11 03:56:00
#Bean #Rowan #Atkinson #criticized #electric #cars
