this post was submitted on 07 Feb 2024
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Here’s Rowan’s original article since I couldn’t find a link in the actual article.
All of the points he makes are good ones, IMHO. The one about three year leases is especially good, and something the government could act on right now. There’s no reason to ditch a car after three years. Both of my cars are almost a decade old and will probably keep running for another decade with good maintenance.
And here's the rebuttal about he's mostly spouting FUD or down right lies.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jun/08/fact-check-why-rowan-atkinson-is-wrong-about-electric-vehicles
I imagine most of us here read his article with a positive outlook saying "yes, yes, these are concerns we acknowledge and are being handled, so this is more of a cautionary price than a true argument against it" while the other side is saying "see? See? They don't work at all!".
I read the Guardian rebuttal before his actual article. Interesting that they had to make multiple amendments to address some of what the Guardian called out. Of course, nobody really sees the amendments because the majority of readers have already passed through. I definitely agree that the 3-year turnaround is a massive misdirection though. First off, people are going to buy new cars regardless. It's required to create a sustainable used car market. Second off, selling/returning a 3-year lease car means there must be someone buying/accepting that return. It's a lease return, not a scrap disposal. Obviously marketing and sales wants you to get a new car sooner, but it's still necessary. Cars all eventually die.