A British environmental charity has accused actor and comedian Rowan Atkinson of disrupting the country's phase-out of gas- and diesel-powered cars after he criticized electric vehicles (EVs) in an opinion piece.
Atkinson, well-known for being the comedic mind behind the popular sitcom "Mr. Bean," published an op-ed in the Guardian in June 2023 wherein he discussed his reservations about the environmental impact of EVs.
"Electric cars, of course, have zero exhaust emissions, which is a welcome development, particularly in respect of the air quality in city centers," wrote Atkinson, an auto expert, part-time auto journalist and early adopter of EVs. "But if you zoom out a bit and look at a bigger picture that includes the car's manufacture, the situation is very different."
Atkinson criticized the use of lithium-ion batteries in EVs and pointed out that the "absurdly heavy" batteries, which have a limited lifespan of up to 10 years, are the main contributors to this environmental footprint.
"In advance of the [United Nations'] COP 26 climate conference in Glasgow in 2021, Volvo released figures claiming that greenhouse gas emissions during production of an electric car are nearly 70 percent higher than when manufacturing a petrol one," wrote Atkinson. "How so? The problem lies with the lithium-ion batteries fitted currently to nearly all-electric vehicles: they're absurdly heavy, huge amounts of energy are required to make them, and they are estimated to last only upwards of 10 years. It seems a perverse choice of hardware with which to lead the automobile's fight against the climate crisis."
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However, a representative from Green Alliance, a charity and independent think tank that researches and recommends new environmental policy proposals, labeled the article "one of the most damaging articles" for the net zero cause and the widescale adoption of EVs. The group accused Atkinson of being a high-profile obstacle to the government's ambitious plans to phase out fossil fuel vehicles by 2035. (Related: Automaker bigwigs admit EV sales are in jeopardy.)
In the letter addressed to the House of Lords environment and climate change committee, the Green Alliance insisted that the views of Atkinson in his article were misleading and had been "roundly debunked."
“Unfortunately, fact checks never reach the same breadth of audience as the original false claim, emphasizing the need to ensure high editorial standards around the net zero transition," claimed the Green Alliance.
Atkinson proposes alternative solutions regarding EV adoption
In September 2023, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak claimed that by 2030, there would be a ban on sales of new petrol cars. However, as people face difficulties in swapping to EVs, he said in his recent statement that he will delay the ban until 2035.
The House of Lords slammed Sunak in its 128-page report for his pessimistic approach to EVs.
"The government must do more to convey a positive vision of the EV transition. Faced with conflicting claims and alarmist headlines, consumers need a go-to source of comprehensive, clear and balanced information so they can make informed decisions about their vehicles," said the upper house of the U.K. parliament.
But then, Sunak's statement somehow supported the proposed alternative solutions from Atkinson.
"I’m feeling that our honeymoon with electric cars is coming to an end, and that's no bad thing: we're realizing that a wider range of options needs to be explored if we’re going to properly address the very serious environmental problems that our use of the motor car has created.
"We should keep developing hydrogen, as well as synthetic fuels to save the scrapping of older cars, which still have so much to give, while simultaneously promoting a quite different business model for the car industry, in which we keep our new vehicles for longer, acknowledging their amazing but overlooked longevity," Atkinson wrote.
Learn more about electric cars and their manufacturers at RoboCars.news.
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