Negative EV press blitz

[wrightwood]

Is it just me, or is there a crescendo in EV negative PR campaigning going on right now? My news feed is overrun with EV hit pieces by The Sun, Oil Price, etc. I understand I've been over feeding the algorithm for awhile, but I suspect the fossil fuel industry is ramping up spending on PR, perhaps indicating their level of anxiety right now.

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[COdogman]

It's not just you. This is the natural reaction from the oil/ gas industry and other groups who now see EVs as a very real threat to their existence. 99% of it is garbage, but unfortunately most people won't take the time to do more research.

 

[s4wrxttcs]

I don't think any conspiracy ploy is going on, but there definitely is an anti-EV fever in the air.

I think its mostly an overreaction to the price corrections going on in the EV sector.

 

[Redline]

Its not a conspiracy, but it's 100% funded by the oil and gas companies. Who do you think loses the most with the EV change over?

 

[Electrified Outdoors]

No conspiracy.... They are all searching for clicks. EVs have become a hot button issue. Most of them have the same uneducated arguments we've been hearing for years. Fear mongering click bait.

 

[Florida Panhandler]

This has been a crescendo for at least 8 months now. The anti-EV clickbait has always been there but really started taking hold with a few viral YouTubers having a bad experience towing with the Lightning F150. The enormous amount of clicks on these videos cause other video posts to appear quickly along with numerous mainstream outfits picking up the clickbait material. The oil industry is certainly behind a lot of this but a large portion was pretty grassroots clickbait and will only be extinguished by a little time and real world reality of how advantageous EV tech is over ICE for normal everyday car owners.

 

[VSG]

Is it just me, or is there a crescendo in EV negative PR campaigning going on right now?

Yeah, but don't cite the Wall Street Journal video as an example of negative PR. Watch it first. That video is actually reasonable, and points out plusses and minuses, and brings up a lot of good points. The only thing about that video is that it's really focused on the situation in LA (and is less representative of where I am), but she goes out of her way to emphasize that this was LA-centric so I can't really fault anything she says.

 

[shap]

I don't think any conspiracy ploy is going on, but there definitely is an anti-EV fever in the air.

I think its mostly an overreaction to the price corrections going on in the EV sector.

There are many reasons for that. One is that there is a real problem with chargers and it is possible to use this issue as a good excuse.

But the real problem is that it become political. Using EV associated with climate activists, current administration supporters, etc. Despite the fact that many of EV owners just have fun driving electric and have nothing to do with anything else ….

 

[Golfer04]

There are many reasons for that. One is that there is a real problem with chargers and it is possible to use this issue as a good excuse.

But the real problem is that it become political. Using EV associated with climate activists, current administration supporters, etc. Despite the fact that many of EV owners just have fun driving electric and have nothing to do with anything else ….

Two years ago the solution to any problem the world had was "EVs". Now EVs are the cause of every evil there is. Wasn't true two years ago and isn't true now. Mostly click bait.

 

[ads75]

As more people buy EVs, there is a larger sample size of people that have more experiences, good or bad. As more people get on the road with their EVs, there are more lines for chargers. There are people that are buying EVs that don't have places at home or work to charge, in my opinion they shouldn't be buying them if they can't easily charge at home. But those people are sharing their ownership experiences. There are people with no EV experience getting EVs as rentals, probably the worst EV experience for a first time EV user.

A couple weeks ago, I took a 425 mile trip to Maine in my R1T. I had to stop 3 times on the way there, and 3 times on the way back. I had to stop every 2 to 2.5 hours, for at least 30 minutes to charge. One stop on the way there and one on the way back had lines, so I had to wait 30 minutes just to plug in. A 7 hour drive easily became 9 hours. I am used to driving 4-5 hours at a time, without stopping. Plus, while I was in Maine, the house had no outdoor outlets, so if I was going to drive around, I would need to budget at least 1.5 hours to get to a charger and charge, for every 150 miles driven, during my long weekend. I have owned my R1T for just over one year, and this was the first trip I took that needed more than one charging stop in each direction. I drive by myself, so the only person inconvenienced is myself. My friends and family I met in Maine, took their ICE vehicles. They had zero interest in spending an extra 2 hours on a road trip, and I can't blame them. Plus the charging stops aren't exactly scenic, mainly Walmarts or malls, good for bathrooms or shopping if needed, but little else. EV enthusiasts love to say you need to plan your trip with plugshare. I used plugshare, it didn't identify 3 of 6 broken chargers at one site I used, despite a score of 10.

You can make the argument that the extended time spent time charging on a road trip is offset by the day to day experience of never going to a gas station. So you may spend less time at a DCFC overall than you spend at gas stations over the period you own a vehicle. But I don't think I ever waited 20 minutes to put gas in a vehicle. Patience wears thin on people waiting in line, with places to go, things to do. One of my charging stops had one person that was being somewhat aggressive despite others in line. They were trying to use a plug from a charger already in use, and seemed to try to argue with the person already using the charger.

Some EV enthusiasts also love to say the networks will get better. They probably will. But when? Over how long? Most people buy for how things currently are, not for what they are hoping they will be. I know Rivian and other manufacturers are supposed to get access to the largest charging network next year, but lets not pretend that charging company's CEO isn't afraid to break a promise/agreement (or outright lie) about his product. As that companies car sales slow, will they identify their greatest asset may be their charging network?

People that are anti-EV should realize if they are driving less than 200 miles a day, the EV short comings probably won't bother them on a day to day basis. And when they are driving more than 200 miles on a trip, how often is it, once a week, once a month, once a year? EV owners also need to realize once they are above 80% charge, for the most part, they are just clogging up chargers. I was very annoyed at my charging experience on my trip, but I also have to remember I charge at work, and that covered about 10,000 miles of my driving since I have owned the R1T (free charging at work). Is 10,000 miles of free charging worth the trade off of waiting to charge on an occasional road trip? But I also admit, in the future, if a road trip takes more than one charging stop in each direction, I will probably stick with my ICE vehicle. But most people aren't fortunate enough to have multiple vehicles to make that choice.

I usually discount the articles written that say lithium mining is bad, because they give a free pass to oil. But articles about peoples experience using the vehicles is usually real, and shouldn't be ignored. People don't want to plan their trips around specific point to stop just to charge, every two hours. People don't want 12 apps for 12 different charging providers, just so they can do a road trip. People don't want to drive 2.5 hours to their nearest service center.

 

[wrightwood]

I did watch the WSJ video, and it’s legit. I think that piece is fueling a ton of reposting on sites that hate EVs, because it’s a valid critique from a reputable publication that they can piggyback on.

Charging infrastructure is a problem, but it is being addressed, albeit too slowly. We’ve just become an EV only household, and I know it will be more challenging to take road trips than in the past, but it’s a compromise I’m willing to make. It won’t make a noticeable difference in the world, but it does teach our children of what we prioritize. Convenience isn’t everything.

 

[MGA]

What do you expect from Oil Price and such entities?

 

[Fmc]

My favorite WSJ hit piece was in the headline how EVs are creating a problem for electricity poles. But then when I read the article they recognized that hurricanes, fires, natural disasters were causing the need to replace poles and some places were using metal poles as a more reliable option.
I also noticed a Facebook ‘acquaintance’ post a video of a Tesla getting towed to a charging station. I forgot that cars have never run out of gas.

 

[mtberman]

There is not significant negative public sentiment nor was there a negative natural reaction to people buying EVs. You all are seeing a public relations campaign that began in 2022.

The campaign is funded by the API and other fossil fuel interests. Yes, the WSJ is part of the problem. They published the OG negative article late last year.

The saddest part is how many Rivian owners posted here that they think these stories have some credibility.

 

[NC-Rivian]

As more people buy EVs, there is a larger sample size of people that have more experiences, good or bad. As more people get on the road with their EVs, there are more lines for chargers. There are people that are buying EVs that don't have places at home or work to charge, in my opinion they shouldn't be buying them if they can't easily charge at home. But those people are sharing their ownership experiences. There are people with no EV experience getting EVs as rentals, probably the worst EV experience for a first time EV user.

A couple weeks ago, I took a 425 mile trip to Maine in my R1T. I had to stop 3 times on the way there, and 3 times on the way back. I had to stop every 2 to 2.5 hours, for at least 30 minutes to charge. One stop on the way there and one on the way back had lines, so I had to wait 30 minutes just to plug in. A 7 hour drive easily became 9 hours. I am used to driving 4-5 hours at a time, without stopping. Plus, while I was in Maine, the house had no outdoor outlets, so if I was going to drive around, I would need to budget at least 1.5 hours to get to a charger and charge, for every 150 miles driven, during my long weekend. I have owned my R1T for just over one year, and this was the first trip I took that needed more than one charging stop in each direction. I drive by myself, so the only person inconvenienced is myself. My friends and family I met in Maine, took their ICE vehicles. They had zero interest in spending an extra 2 hours on a road trip, and I can't blame them. Plus the charging stops aren't exactly scenic, mainly Walmarts or malls, good for bathrooms or shopping if needed, but little else. EV enthusiasts love to say you need to plan your trip with plugshare. I used plugshare, it didn't identify 3 of 6 broken chargers at one site I used, despite a score of 10.

You can make the argument that the extended time spent time charging on a road trip is offset by the day to day experience of never going to a gas station. So you may spend less time at a DCFC overall than you spend at gas stations over the period you own a vehicle. But I don't think I ever waited 20 minutes to put gas in a vehicle. Patience wears thin on people waiting in line, with places to go, things to do. One of my charging stops had one person that was being somewhat aggressive despite others in line. They were trying to use a plug from a charger already in use, and seemed to try to argue with the person already using the charger.

Some EV enthusiasts also love to say the networks will get better. They probably will. But when? Over how long? Most people buy for how things currently are, not for what they are hoping they will be. I know Rivian and other manufacturers are supposed to get access to the largest charging network next year, but lets not pretend that charging company's CEO isn't afraid to break a promise/agreement (or outright lie) about his product. As that companies car sales slow, will they identify their greatest asset may be their charging network?

People that are anti-EV should realize if they are driving less than 200 miles a day, the EV short comings probably won't bother them on a day to day basis. And when they are driving more than 200 miles on a trip, how often is it, once a week, once a month, once a year? EV owners also need to realize once they are above 80% charge, for the most part, they are just clogging up chargers. I was very annoyed at my charging experience on my trip, but I also have to remember I charge at work, and that covered about 10,000 miles of my driving since I have owned the R1T (free charging at work). Is 10,000 miles of free charging worth the trade off of waiting to charge on an occasional road trip? But I also admit, in the future, if a road trip takes more than one charging stop in each direction, I will probably stick with my ICE vehicle. But most people aren't fortunate enough to have multiple vehicles to make that choice.

I usually discount the articles written that say lithium mining is bad, because they give a free pass to oil. But articles about peoples experience using the vehicles is usually real, and shouldn't be ignored. People don't want to plan their trips around specific point to stop just to charge, every two hours. People don't want 12 apps for 12 different charging providers, just so they can do a road trip. People don't want to drive 2.5 hours to their nearest service center.

Very fair comments and reflective of the reality at this instant in time. We drive both a Tee and a Tesla Model Y long range and I can tell you that traveling with the Tesla is much MUCH easier. Reasonably spaced superchargers which work every time without using an app and rarely (if ever) a wait. When we travel we try our best to use the Tesla but when we need the Tee there’s a lot more planning involved. (I have used the RAN chargers and they are as close to the Tesla experience that you can get driving a Rivian.)

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