Odd question to ask, perhaps, on this sub. But I recently had a conversation with someone who is blindly anti-EV and he kept rambling on about a “silent majority” of EV owners who “don’t care at all” about the environment. I personally don’t think that’s true, but I may be (sadly) wrong.
(We are both car enthusiasts, but he leans right, I lean left (and am concerned climate change). In case people are curious)
I spent $90k+ on an EV (my choice could’ve definitely gone cheaper but I am enthusiast), and spent $25k on solar panels.
I did this in top of being vegetarian because I care about 🌏 and am teaching my kids to give her a fighting chance against us, a species that has ravaged every corner of this beautiful planet.
I lean mid to hard left (immigration policy is where I ironically break).
a “silent majority” of EV owners who “don’t care at all”
IMO, the phrase “don’t care at all” is too stark. I have been driving EVs for the past 14 years because I like technology and performance. I would be selecting EVs even if their environmental impact were no better than ICE vehicles.
But the fact is, EVs are better for the environment, and of course that is a nice side benefit. While the environmental benefits have not been critical to my purchasing decisions, they are definitely appreciated.
When I replaced my 4 year old vehicle all the green aspects of the EV were canceled out. The green play is a very long term one.
Every EV owner enjoys the environmental benefits. However the definition of “environment” varies greatly.
Most of the red-leaning folks appreciate that it does’t belch carbon monoxide and the potpourri of pollutants in their garage. Messy oil changes are no longer a hassle for DIYers. For them, the environment is their immediate vicinity.
On the other end of the spectrum, the environmentalist-leaning folks value that it’s helping to slow down the effects of climate change. They environment to them is the broader planetary one.
Tbh I don’t care much about the environmental benefits. To me, the real benefit is how better an ev drives and how I can pretty much be self sufficient by fueling the vehicle at home
From memory the last time this question was asked, a significant number of owners simply didn’t give a shit.
I suspect that since EV’s are still priced above the point where most cars actually sell, there’s a lot of people who are in a position (mostly skewing older) where actual environmental concerns play second fiddle to having “the latest tech”. We’re talking about a cohort that is still mostly comprised of early adopters, after all.
I have to say, the proportion of people in this thread saying they don’t care about the environment is surprising and depressing to me, and also makes me less positive in general toward EV owners.
Do most EV owners appreciate of the environmental benefits of their vehicles?
Absolutely. For my wife and I, at least, the positive environmental impact is the biggest reason - by far - to own a BEV. Combined with our solar panels and the that that we’re on a 100% renewable energy tariff, we’ll see a very significant reduction in our CO2/GHG emissions for 2024.