#electriccars #factcheck #rowanatkinson
Can we just start by saying that we’re big fans of Rowan Atkinson at Electrifying.com. He loves cars, we love cars, and we love his work. This week, however, hasn’t been his best. In an opinion column in The Guardian newspaper concerning electric cars, Atkinson put forward some rather questionable ‘facts’ about electric cars and the automotive industry.
These included: “greenhouse gas emissions during production of an electric car are 70% higher than when manufacturing a petrol one” and “The problem lies with the lithium-ion batteries fitted currently to nearly all electric vehicles: they’re absurdly heavy, many rare earth metals and huge amounts of energy are required to make them, and they only last upwards of 10 years”
We think statements like this, coming from someone who is at pains to point out their scientific credentials – his degree was in electrical and electronic engineering, with a subsequent master’s in control systems – are a bit misleading, without some further context.
And because it’s been picking up quite a lot of coverage – we decided to give Rowan Atkinson’s opinion piece in the Guardian newspaper a bit of a fact check and also give it some of that context. You see, at Electrifying we like to get the facts straight. To make sure you’re armed with the right answers when someone asks you down the pub.
Join Ginny, Nicki and Nicola as they fact-check the column that everyone has been talking about. And don’t forget to tell us (we’re sure you won’t) what your opinion is in the comments below.
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