Parade of YouTube Ignorance about Electric Cars

By Brad Berman · December 29, 2011

Did the arrival of thousands of electric cars on American roads in 2011 raise broad awareness of the benefits of EVs? Not quite.

If you’re willing to take a frightening (although slightly humorous) tour through the mind of anti-EV ranter, then click through the following YouTube videos. I'll leave it to the PluginCars.com community to respond.

Posted Dec. 21.: "You don’t need an electric car that will cost you ten times as much (as a gas car). What for? Just to save the planet? Give that money to me. The cons outweigh the pros tremendously…If the disposable battery blows up, you’re dead."

Posted Dec. 5: "I know the idea of an electric car sounds really good because it’s clean and quiet. But the reality is that it’s not reducing carbon emissions. It’s just moving them into somebody else’s neighborhood…Besides it’s less efficient than burning gasoline in an engine. Right now, electric cars are just a fashion statement."

Posted Dec. 5: "Electric vehicles aren’t bad. They will likely have a place in our society once battery technology improves further, and can provide us with a realistic range of 200 to 300 miles per charge. This is likely to happen sometime between 2020 and 2030."

Posted Nov. 28: "Electric cars was President Obama’s mistake listening to the left-wing extremist extreme environmentalists saying we have to get rid of all gasoline cars and go to electric cars…We could solve 50 percent of our oil problem tomorrow just going to propane vehicles…Propane cars are more fuel-efficient and better for the environment. It takes more dirty coal to make electricity for the electric car than it does to run a propane car. It’s all on Google." Note: There's a long commercial break at 3:30, after which the topic wanders.

Posted Jan. 27: "If you think about it, all the oil and coal companies use up so much resources just to make a small amount of energy that then has to be pumped through hundreds and thousands of miles of cable just to get to your car?"

About the author

· Brad Berman

Bradley Berman is the editor of PluginCars.com. Brad writes about alternative energy cars for The New York Times, Detroit Free Press, Reuters and other publications. He is quoted in national media outlets, such as CBS News, ABC News, CNBC, CBC, and MarketWatch. Mr. Berman is a tireless researcher of the green car market. He is the transportation editor at Home Power magazine.

Full bio · 939 posts

Comments

· Jose G · 20 weeks ago

I suggest responding on youtube. Responding here is just preaching to the choir.

· Brett (not verified) · 20 weeks ago

Responding is a waste of lunch break time. If you want to take the worry out of evs, just drive yours around town. Speculation about what might happen if you push the power button on a Leaf or a bluray player doesnt do much.

· MFong · 20 weeks ago

I never waste my time replying to these idiots, you would be just feeding the trolls. They are obviously not qualified to make any statements about EV's and their impact or their usefulness to the environment. They're just trolls that want attention for their stupid comments. It's not even worth wasting my free time at work.

· Anonymous (not verified) · 20 weeks ago

Try it you'll like it!

· Jim1961 (not verified) · 20 weeks ago

I talked to a Chevy salesman about the Volt today. He said that some of the salespersons refuse to sell the Volt. It took some probing questions but I finally got this salesman to give me the reasson why some salesmen refuse to sell the Volt. The reason was politics.

· tterbo · 20 weeks ago

He was afraid touching it would result in electrocution, hence the name. :D

· Jose G · 20 weeks ago

@Jim1961 - If they're not selling the Volt because of politics, then they shouldn't be working at GM or any affiliated business. Quite honestly, they should be fired for not selling a product they were hired to sell. In this economy, plenty of people would be happy to take their place.

· indyflick · 20 weeks ago

I really don't care much about the opinions of the typical YouTube nitwit. It's the mainstream auto journalist, who are constantly bashing EVs, that give me pause. One of the worst is John McElroy who hosts Autoline Detroit on PBS, Autoline Daily as well as Autoline After Hours on YouTube. He bashes EVs on a daily basis. Here's an example from last week on Autoline After Hours. (The YouTube version isn't working so here's the video streamed from Autolines website). This show includes John McElroy, Peter De Lorenzo, and David Welch of Bloomberg. Jump to 32:06 to hear the rants. http://www.autoline.tv/journal/?p=19443

· ex-EV1 driver · 20 weeks ago

Wow! If these dolts have covered all of the problems with electric cars, we're definitely on the right track!

· jim1961 (not verified) · 20 weeks ago

I'm not going to view any of those Youtube videos. I'm really, really tired of hearing the opinions of uninformed people. Today I was talking to a friend who recently bought a new Ford Fusion. I asked him if it was a hybrid. He said, "No, I didn't want to spend the extra money to pay Best Buy to install the charging station." In my previous comment I mentioned my encounter with a Chevy salesmen. He loves the Volt but he said the Volt weighs 5000 pounds and he's had the standard training that all Chevy salespersons receive about the Volt.

· EVNow · 20 weeks ago

"They will likely have a place in our society once battery technology improves further, and can provide us with a realistic range of 200 to 300 miles per charge. This is likely to happen sometime between 2020 and 2030."

Not far off - in terms of when an EPA 200 mile range will be sold for under $30k. No - a $70K car doesn't count.

· Benjamin Nead · 20 weeks ago

It may be a waste of time trying to argue with these goofballs on YouTube - and, yes, it's far more important to call out established journalists with obvious anti-EV biases - but I'm glad that Brad collected all these nutcases in one place for us to view. Much like the ongoing series of "EV Haters Guides" that were posted here this past year, it is a valuable service to be able to see this stuff . . . so we can intelligently respond to it face to face, when we encounter people in person who have seen it and may be influence by it.

Yes . . . that Chevy salesman who refuses to sell the Volts off the lot should go. Jim . . . please call the regional GM rep in your area and let them know what's going on. Jose is right. Someone else could better represent that product line and there are lots of out-of-work salespeople looking for jobs.

· tterbo · 20 weeks ago

I think a lot of this will taper off in 2013 when there are 150k or so of these cars on the road. I've only seen 3 or 4 Volts in my town of 250k people. I saw a Leaf on a delivery truck once. Actually the only Leafs I've seen so far include a blue one in Marin, a Silver one in Tracy, and a white one in Sacramento. That's it. hehe, and you know I'm reaaaallly looking. The fact that the youtube 10 have even become aware of the existence of EVs is probably an accomplishment on some level, even if they're afraid of Thomas Edison.

I think once there are more than three of these cars visible between the central valley and the ocean, informed opinions will begin to form. Probably the same opinions that gradually formed about the Prius.

· NervousCat (not verified) · 20 weeks ago

They all need to get a copy of the book "High Voltage: The Fast Track to Plug In the Auto Industry" to educate themselves.

http://www.plugincars.com/motavalli-book-navigates-bumpy-road-electric-c...

I'm currently reading this book, and it certainly has me all caught up with what's going on in the EV industry.

· Charles (not verified) · 20 weeks ago

I could not listen to any of the youtube videos the whole way. Just too much BS. The Autoline Detroit video was different. These people have some stuff just wrong (Optima with a CVT for one), but other parts are correct. The strongest voice I heard was get the government out of cars and other private industry and let the EVs stand on their own. I do not agree with that for many reasons, but it is very prevalent in the USA today.

The argument for EV incentives is an argument for long term good at short term cost. A lot of the politicians elected in 2010 are focused on the debt. The debt problem is real and needs a very careful long term solution. Our problem is that these same politicians want to use a sledge hammer of budget cuts as their only tool, which will cause more long term problems. Related to EVs, the long term problems will be that all EVs and their major components will be produced elsewhere, because almost all other governments of industrial countries are supporting EV development. The IHotFM says no problem, the reality will be more unemployment in the USA. Even worse the unemployment will be in manufacturing, where we need it most.

· Chris · 20 weeks ago

This is why higher education should be free.

· Anonymous (not verified) · 20 weeks ago

Sad state of affairs.

Already China has overtaken USA in wind energy installed capacity and production of solar pv panels. Soon China will jump into the Electric vehicles and race past US in economy and everything. Then the American's will realize and start following the Chinese.

· Charles (not verified) · 20 weeks ago

@Chris, I do not see how these youtube posters could have passed high school. That is not to say I disagree with you. If you believe as I do that people with better education are a benefit to society, than we need to educate everybody to their full potential. For many that would be an old style trade school or even apprenticeships. For others, go all the way through med school. I would make an exception for law school and MBAs. Just joking about the exceptions.

· Benjamin Nead · 20 weeks ago

Thankfully, not everything on YouTube represents the wacky opinions of the above embedded video posters. Here's something contributed by Amory Lovins' group, The Rocky Mountain Institute, that gives a realistic and informed appraisal of where electric vehicles can take
us . . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1icbBaBNCBM

Although RMI likes to de-emphasize government involvement in their plan, it does assume you have business interests working towards a common good past their next quarterly profit statements (hard to keep that happening without some sort of government involvement) and an educated populace that can see a vision of the future beyond the ends of their noses (not to be found, obviously, in this most recent YouTube roundup of Brad's.)

· Jose G · 20 weeks ago

On the bright side, I haven't encountered any EV haters in person yet, only EV likers. Just yesterday I encountered an employee at the supermarket checking out my Leaf, and he asked me a bunch of questions.

· Jose G · 20 weeks ago

@Chris "This is why higher education should be free."

This seems like more of a problem with high school & lower education (which is free). Competition is the reason the Private Sector works better and more efficiently than the Public Sector. So should we scrap public education? No. Education is opportunity, and everyone should have opportunity. What we should do is introduce competition to public education. Public schools should allow applications from students outside their own district, while still giving priority to the local students. Funding should be based on the number of students and applicants to the school.

Also, the public sector should not be unionized at all, since there is no market to counteract the unions' power. Unions make it harder to fire bad teachers and reward and promote good ones. Even FDR would agree with that, it was Kennedy who started putting unions in government.

"All Government employees should realize that the process of collective bargaining, as usually understood, cannot be transplanted into the public service. It has its distinct and insurmountable limitations when applied to public personnel management." – President Franklin Roosevelt in a letter to Luther Steward, president of the National Federation of Federal Employees, August 16, 1937

· dgpcolorado · 20 weeks ago

@Jose G, "On the bright side, I haven't encountered any EV haters in person yet, only EV likers."

I have. I had the temerity to suggest that our library install a charge station and was slammed down hard by other trustees before I even had the chance to make my presentation or suggest that I would pay for it myself. I won't try to describe all the BS I was hit with ("we don't provide a gas station for patrons...").

And a resident in my neighborhood repeatedly ridiculed my decision to purchase a LEAF rather than something more practical, like a Volt. Turns out he is a white-collar GM retiree.

Nevertheless, my friends and colleagues have been intrigued with the LEAF, especially the three who have had a chance to drive it thus far (I'm only at 300 miles, so give me time).

· LogicalThinker (not verified) · 20 weeks ago

Y'all, I'd suggest don't even watch the youtube videos. You are feeding the trolls just by watching.
/barf.

· abasile · 20 weeks ago

@dgp: Very sorry to hear about the other library trustees. What are they worried about? That the handful of EV drivers within range of the library are going to bleed them dry in electricity? Hopefully at least one other business/organization in your town will be more receptive.

· Anonymous (not verified) · 20 weeks ago

Jose G,

I think you made the best comment on this thread so far.

"On the bright side, I haven't encountered any EV haters in person yet, only EV likers."

This thread reminds me of watching the local TV news and seeing many stories about crime, traffic accidents and fires. If we focus too much on the bad news we get an incredibly distorted view of reality.

· George B (not verified) · 20 weeks ago

Thank you for compiling this list. Having watched the videos, I didn't know what to expect, but I found that most of these folks have been accessible to a reasonable and compassionate argument. Surprisingly, virtually all of them agreed that we need to get off oil, they just didn't think that pure electrics are the way to get us there.

I couldn't agree more with the anonymous comment further above. China is making a strategic investment into alternative energy, high-speed trains and EVs. It wouldn't be at all surprising if they leapfrogged the US in this area, which could prove to be a crucial competitive advantage. Cheap and abundant renewable energy could help reshape the Chinese society, much like cheap oil helped the US to achieve its status as economic superpower,

· NeilBlanchard · 20 weeks ago

Everybody's got an opinion...

Whether or not it is based on facts is another matter.

Neil

· Ken Fry · 19 weeks ago

Scary.

· spicoli · 19 weeks ago

I posted a youtube link here awhile back, a few of you saw it I am pretty sure but it is I think alittle bit different take on the youtube thing. It isnt just me test driving a Leaf and then preaching to the choir (all of you) about how great it is. It is me and a friend/co-worker test driving it, he hated EVs because...um, well because he hated EVs (you know the drill). I talked him into going over and testing it with me and by the end of the drive, or actually about 10 seconds into the test drive he was sold. A bit of schooling on energy security, grid power, and economics and he was a convert. "But your just transfering it to the smokestack..." sigh..http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIKp0NKXyuk

· spicoli · 19 weeks ago

Oh ya, just skip to 2:33 to go straight to the EV "hater" test drive. It is the only one I have seen on the web, because usually these guys dont bother to actually check an EV out for themselves or dig deeper into the facts. I would like to see more hater EV test drives. Maybe we could start a "Adopt a hater" EV test driving program whereby they recieve a free toaster or something in exchange for being video taped actually driving one of these "golf carts".

· Anonymous (not verified) · 13 weeks ago

Hoo boy.

I love how people like to give opinion/judgement on something they don't own, drive, use, touch.

Youtube. The great equalizer of all voices, educated or otherwise.

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Parade of YouTube Ignorance about Electric Cars

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