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Can Electric Cars Be Hurt By Bitter Electric-Car Advocates?

 
1,048 views Oct 8, 2010
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GM EV1 Anti-Crush Protests, Screenshot, Who Killed The Electric Car?

GM EV1 Anti-Crush Protests, Screenshot, Who Killed The Electric Car?

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Every political or social movement has its cross to bear. Every trend has a stereotype from which to break free.

So it seems time to ask, is the public image of electric cars and other plug-in vehicles being damaged by those who maintain that a huge and evil global conspiracy exists against the EV?

We’re happy to see more and more interest in electric cars among the general public. But we also hear certain groups of existing EV owners getting shriller.


They seem awfully keen to keep alive a healthy mistrust of any mainstream automaker developing an electric vehicle. 

A little history

In 2002, a core group of activists--aghast at the crushing of electric-car fleets of General Motors EV1s, Toyota RAV4 EVs, and Honda EV Pluses--came together to protest the willful destruction of working cars with zero emissions.

Founding members of Plug-In America embarked on a long crusade to persuade everyone from home converters to startups and major automakers to go electric again.

Others branched out into advocating home-brew projects, with conversion companies and grass-roots campaigns to bring EVs to everyone. Then came the the seminal docu-film by Chris Paine, Who Killed The Electric Car?

Saturn EV1

Saturn EV1

Without these trailblazers, people who sought to correct the wrong they’d witnessed, some argue the auto industry would not be revisiting electric vehicles at all. 

Is it still 2002?

But we regularly get comments on AllCarsElectric and GreenCarReports that show a small group of vocal activists is still treating the entire car industry as if it were 2002.

Today, things have changed a lot from the dark days. Within months, automakers will begin to sell cars like the 2011 Nissan Leaf, the Chevy Volt, and the 2011 Coda Sedan.

And Chris Paine’s latest film, Revenge of the Electric Car, is due to hit cinemas soon. In it, among other story lines, he focuses on General Motors and the team that developed its 2011 Chevrolet Volt.

But some activists are still convinced that everyone from the government to the automakers are out to kill the electric car. Do such views, and such advocates do more harm than good now?

Support, but verify

When the auto industry decided to re-examine electric vehicles, many activists took on roles of support within the industry. They offered assistance and consulting to companies wishing to avoid the mistakes of past generations. 

For activists turned consultants, including Who Killed The Electric Car? star Chelsea Sexton, the future of electric vehicles has remained rosy; they are helping to bring electric cars to consumers nationwide. 

While they may remain skeptical of automakers’ intentions, they still offer advice, help and support when possible. For them it is almost a case of keeping their friends close, but their (old) enemies closer.

But those who have remained suspicious of the corporate entities of mainstream automakers have become increasingly uncomfortable with companies like Toyota, Nissan and GM bringing electric models to the market. 

Crushed GM EV1s - Screenshot, Who Kill The Electric Car?

Crushed GM EV1s - Screenshot, Who Kill The Electric Car?

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Oil industry goal: Kill every last EV?

Past experience has taught them that the giants of the auto industry cannot be trusted, that lies are being told, and that ultimately the oil industry will somehow manage to kill every last electric car. 

Through Internet forums and activity at local EV clubs, the conspiracy theories spread, convincing those who pay attention that no major automaker is serious about going electric.

A corollary: Over-priced electric cars or battery technology buy-outs are meant to prevent electric vehicles from being affordable for everyone. 






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Comments (18)

  1. fb_1001015277 avatar John Briggs Posted: 10/8/2010 11:55am PDT

    Interesting piece.
    On the flip side, I wonder how much damage is done by overly enthusiastic EV advocates. I am not talking about Nikki or Chelsea as I find their view quite balanced. But those of us in the EV community have seen exaggerated claims of financial payback and cheap solar power, etc.
    While I love the enthusiasm, I worry about the downside if such predictions are wrong or turn out to be untrue from the get-go.
    Also related, what if someone comes up with a practical 80MPG car. How will that impact EVs?
     
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  2. AutoKing Posted: 10/8/2010 1:20pm PDT

    This is a FANTASTIC article. I personally believe this article captures - in the context of the EV discussion - the much larger challenge/reality associated with nearly every-major economic issue we face these days. Whether it's Unions protecting gilded benefits, the NRA defensing Uzi's for teenagers, the AARP advocating policies bankrupting Social Security for future generations, etc, the bottom line is alliances and cooperation with "sworn enemies" will be required to move forward. Very rarely to we make "peace" with friends who agree with 100% of our beliefs. Great job Nikki!!
     
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  3. Bret Posted: 10/8/2010 2:08pm PDT

    Conspiracy theorists will be making a lot of noise until EVs hit the mainstream. Then, they will move on to some other cause or injustice.
    I don't think they will damage the EV industry with their vitrol. But, they do taint early EV adopters as quirky and militant. Their comments on EV blogs are annoying, because anyone who doesn't abandon oil at any cost are toxic-wasting scum.
    Open minds and dialog are needed to support EV adoption.
     
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  4. ev enthusiast Posted: 10/8/2010 2:11pm PDT

    today, we have too much change in the mix. i dont worry that evs wont sell.
    in terms of "them coming out with 80mpg gas cars", they dont have to invent that. they have the ability to do that now.
    they may even try it. but by then, even someone with half a brain would be able to figure out that the oil industry is only interested in control.
    people dont want to be controlled like little puppets. we have been like that for too long, now.
    we are looking for peace on this planet, not to buy into the oil control and violence that goes along with it.
    people need to ask themselves just what are people's lives worth ? why do we need to spend so much on the military ?
    the bigwigs will try to convince us that the bogeyman is out to get us, or aliens from outer space. well any aliens coming to visit us would be able to disintegrate us if they chose to do so, as they would be a 1000 times more advanced than us.
    i believe people will be smart enough now to see through this veil of deceipt, and continue on the march out of petroleum.
     
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  5. Kent Stuart Posted: 10/8/2010 2:21pm PDT

    I don't think bitter EV advocates will influence things once the Volt arrives in dealer lots and showrooms. They will be cast aside and forgotten as the Volt proves itself to be the legitimate and brilliant engineering masterpiece GM promises it to be.
    Drafting close behind in the Volt's shadow are Nissan's LEAF and Ford's Focus EV.... the more that comes, the further distant any past bitterness will become. We're about to embark upon a new era, and what was relevant 10 years ago no longer carries the same relevance now.
    Bye-bye bitterness....
     
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  6. fb_428085 avatar Colin Summers Posted: 10/8/2010 5:24pm PDT

    I could not have been more angry about the EV1 being crushed, and felt crushed alongside it. Then I was invited to be a member of GM's Customer Advisory Board for the Chevy Volt. I have driven the car a few times and it's a blast.
    I arrived in Detroit with a shovel, hoping to bury the hatchet. I switched to a Rav4 Electric and added a Prius so the whole garage is Toyota. But if the Volt works for my first week of driving I will be putting in an order for one.
    I'm detailing it all here http://voltaday.com if you want to follow along. The car is meant to be in my hands in a little more than two weeks.
    In my mind, the mainstream will be getting electric cars as soon as the first Volts and Leafs are delivered.
     
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  7. steve Posted: 10/8/2010 7:30pm PDT

    Gotta love the conspiracy theory idiots that have gotten sooo used to carrying their torch that they can't seem to let go of it when the sun finally comes out.
     
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  8. Paul Scott Posted: 10/8/2010 8:25pm PDT

    Irrational people are everywhere. Lucky for us, few people pay them any mind. As others have said, once the new cars come out, the momentum will grow very fast, and nothing, and I mean nothing, will stop it.
    We're in week two of our LEAF test drive tour having given 1500 eager people a test drive in Santa Monica last week, and hundreds more today in Anaheim. To a person they exit the car with the enthusiasm we old timers have had for years. Once the cars actually show up in the driveways of America, and friends, family and neighbors experience them by the tens of thousands, it's game over.
    You article was a fun read, but really there's nothing those people can do to hurt us, nothing at all.
     
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  9. Richard Kelly Posted: 10/9/2010 2:02am PDT

    Nikki, you bring up a great point. And some of the comments (AutoKing) really make me think. However, the word "advocate" is too broad a word to use here. To advocate is good. I believe history will judge that advocates did help get us to where we are today. But what you're talking about is people who call themselves advocates, but aren't (their actions don't further their stated cause). You define the type better toward the end as the kind that wants to "probe old wounds". That's someone with an axe to grind, not an "advocate". Hate to see the term misused this way, especially in your title, and in some of the comments.
     
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  10. Chris O Posted: 10/9/2010 2:46am PDT

    Note that what some would call a conspiracy theory is just sensible business practices to others. When GM crushed it's EV-1 program and sold the NiMH battery patent to the Chevron oil company it didn't do so to plunge the world in endless oil related conflicts but because they belatedly realized there was just more (short term) profit in selling SUV's and that offering concrete alternatives for the ICE businessmodel was like opening a can of worms to them (for instance it inspired the CARB zero emission regulations). That's the problem with big corporations: they are all about next quarters profit, leaving precious little room for morality. So I reckon there is nothing wrong with critically observing corporate behaviour. It's obvious though that the usual suspects are keenly aware at this point that with hundreds of millions of new cars hitting (chinese) roads in the next decades and oil production already nearly maxed out something has to change.
     
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  11. Gasoline Posted: 10/9/2010 6:43am PDT

    Don't you worry your little heads. Those shrill electric car folks will flame-out soon. Gas prices are coming down. All good Americans can forget about this little misguided dalliance and get back to business. Don't forget, fossil-fuels brought you where you are today...
     
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  12. cdspeed Posted: 10/9/2010 8:17am PDT

    I don't really think that EV advocates will do any harm. There really is little need to be bitter because the current era of going green is really going to set the future in motion, going green is no hobby it's about change. There are allot of people who fear change so they try their best to put EVs down but Gasoline won't last forever and although we're enjoying a dip in gas prices that may soon change and not for the better.
     
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  13. ryan Posted: 10/9/2010 2:03pm PDT

    I can’t believe what I’m reading. I thought this was a EV advocates web sight and that EV stood for electric vehicle. Your article is saying that EV advocates are damaging the EV market. Its rare I see EV advocates bashing EV cars (ELECTRIC CARS) if nothing else they are enthusiastic about the prospects. What I do see a lot of is Hybrid (GAS/ ELECTRIC) advocates having heated discussions with EV advocates. I think what you saying is that naive EV advocates are falling for conspiracy theories about GM and hurting the entire EV market… REALLY!!! GM doesn’t have a EV Car (electric car)coming to production in the US any time soon(Cruse going to testing in Korea). Its when EV’s are compared to Hybrids like the VOLT and the Prius is when comments get heated. Lets remember that EV advocates are for zero emissions and independence from oil companies of which many supplier countries hate us or are killing our troops. The only thing hurting the EV market is hybrid advocates masquerading as EV advocates downplaying EV’s at the same time promoting hybrids. This whole article revolves around GM’s Hybrid Volt!!! IS THERE A WEB SIGHT WHERE TRUE EV ADVOCATES ARE NOT VILLIFIED!!!!!
    This article should have been titled “CAN ELECTRIC CARS BE HURT BY BITTER HYBRID ADVOCATES”
     
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  14. fb_1001015277 avatar John Briggs Posted: 10/9/2010 3:27pm PDT

    @ryan,
    Let's try it this way. Think about solar power. There are many solar power advocates. There are virtually zero home solar PV systems that do not include fossil fuel backup.
    For grid-tied PV systems, the mostly fossil fuel powered grid provides power when the sun does not shine. For off-grid PV systems, a diesel generator typically provides backup power for winter or stormy times. This is all considered normal and inevitable.
    Having an EV with a decent electric range with gasoline backup is really no different. It is a reasonable system design worth considering.
    Really a Chevy Volt is no different from off-grid solar that might need a little help in the winter. The real question is, how much fossil fuel help is needed and therefore how "green" is the system really.
    Just for the record, Nikki is really a Nissan LEAF fan-girl. So I think you may be reading too much in to this one particular article.
    Peace, Love, and an Oil-free future my friend.
    John C. Briggs
     
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  15. Gav Posted: 10/9/2010 3:37pm PDT

    Very interesting piece Nikki, well done.
    I'm with John, I feel that extremists and opportunists from the pro-EV side can cause harm to the EV movement too.
     
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  16. Rick from Minnesota Posted: 10/9/2010 4:22pm PDT

    Being asthmatic, I wish electric cars were everywhere. There are cities I cannot visit because of the air quality. Having said that, I must be pragmatic. I haven't much money. I must wait until sales volumes cause electric car prices to be more affordable. I welcome the early adopters, the trail blazers. I hope, with their help, any problems are solved before I purchase my first electric car.
     
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  17. lne937s Posted: 10/11/2010 1:06pm PDT

    I think we should fear negative advertising more than advocates…
    Negative ads don’t gain support—they hurt competitors and shrink market segments. They can be useful in established market segments (where a consumer is going to buy anyway) or politics (where you are concerned about 50%+1 of turnout), but negative advertising reduces consumers in a developing segment (other than “advocates”). When a company with limited production (GM) attacks a larger producer (Nissan/Renault) and the larger segment (EV’s), it does more damage to the segment than good for the attacker (even if their percentage share of the smaller segment goes up).
    It’s no conspiracy-- Volt serves a business purpose to quiet critics and to provide a technology halo to help sell cars… but it is limited production and doesn’t make a profit. Attack ads may be “just business,” but it doesn’t mean we have to like it.
     
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  18. nic Posted: 10/23/2010 6:56am PDT

    Back at the last oil farce EV's were produced for test perpouses and the car manifactures relized that they were not efficent, or pracital , but enviromental groups blamed the oil industry. Not true it was the manifactures worried about enviromental law suits. Due to the facts on efficency, battery disposal adn recycling, cost of recharging,cost of electrical generation,ect, ect, ect,. Untill a power supply of incredable,capablities is discovered.The most enviromently friendly concept would be to maximize efficency of engines where at present were at about 35 to 40 %. thats where the energy savings would realy make a difference.So enviro mentel ests educate your self prior to making rash and incorrect purchases of highley poluting.eniffecent,unsafe, EV's
     
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