I continue to be amazed at the hatred for EVs

[SO16]

I hang out on the same ICE car forum as @FloridaSun and I've seen many examples of both EV Hate and Autonomous Vehicle Hate. At least part of that stems, I believe, from the fact that people are resistant to change, especially change that they don't understand. The older we get the more resistant we become. Some ICE drivers hear about the proposed "EV-only by 2035" type mandates and they feel threatened - they assume that once new EVs stop being sold the next step will be an outright ban on ICE vehicles. Similar fears drive hatred of autonomous cars - these folks fear that once AVs become mainstream then human-driven vehicles will be banned. They use phrases like "you'll have to pry my steering wheel out of my cold, dead hands."

Anyway, that's my theory.

I would prefer EV mandates and subsidies didn’t exist. That would remove the “being forced by govt” viewpoint.

But that also applies to removing gas subsidies. If we were paying over $7 per gallon of gas, people would switch real quick.

 

[DblOSmith]

I hang out on the same ICE car forum as @FloridaSun and I've seen many examples of both EV Hate and Autonomous Vehicle Hate. At least part of that stems, I believe, from the fact that people are resistant to change, especially change that they don't understand. The older we get the more resistant we become. Some ICE drivers hear about the proposed "EV-only by 2035" type mandates and they feel threatened - they assume that once new EVs stop being sold the next step will be an outright ban on ICE vehicles. Similar fears drive hatred of autonomous cars - these folks fear that once AVs become mainstream then human-driven vehicles will be banned. They use phrases like "you'll have to pry my steering wheel out of my cold, dead hands."

Anyway, that's my theory.

Definitely true. I haven't used any AI assistance or creation tools. I don't believe in that voodoo.

 

[Kandiru]

I periodically run a YouTube search for "EV". Yesterday was the first time the results were mostly negative, mostly about EV depreciation and polluting battery manufacturing. Bashing the entire EV industry based on the beta non-Tesla products with odd charge port locations and poor Level 3 charging infrastructure, completely ignoring Tesla with its advanced product and ubiquitous SC network. Amazingly, the vulgus also seemed in agreeance, with hundreds of replies glorifying ICE vehicles and bashing EVs in the customary lingo conditioned by Big Oil and NADA's decade of greenwashing and climate change denying.

 

[David99]

It's mostly online. And honestly I can't tell how many of those die hard anti EV comments on various social media platforms are bots or not. Some seem to appear that way.

Either ways, I have driven the entire US over the last 10 years in my 3 Teslas. Over 550k miles total now. Went to many areas where EVs are still to this day very rare. I have never had a single bad experience. Not a single one. Quite the opposite. People are curious, ask questions, look inside the car and so on. I know some are not EV friendly but still polite in a face to face situation. I think what no one likes is another person trying to sell you their point of view. That will always trigger resistance. So if I encounter people asking about my EV, I talk about how I just drove 1200 miles from here to there for work, or show them the front trunk, or that my first car has 320k miles, running great and then some other dude hit it and totaled it. More of a personal story instead of the confrontational "EV last longer than ICE vehicles" statement.

 

[DblOSmith]

Probably the funniest example is when I was charging my M3 and a C6 Corvette pulls up.

Him: How far that thing go?
Me: About 300 miles. Are you thinking about getting one?
Him: Nope *burns out*

... ooookay....