Rowan Atkinson has stated that he is “a little duped” by electric vehicles and has urged motorists to continue using older gasoline vehicles to help save the world.
The actor, who has played Blackadder and Mr Bean and is a self-described “car person,” believes that developments in electric battery design will be of “great environmental benefit one day, but that day has yet to dawn.”
In a 1,100-word column for The Guardian, he describes how, after having his first hybrid car 18 years ago and then a “pure electric” nine years ago, he now believes that “electric motoring doesn’t seem to be quite the environmental panacea it is claimed to be.”
Mr. Atkinson, 68, concludes that “our honeymoon with electric cars is coming to an end,” describing them as “a bit soulless” but “wonderful mechanisms.”
The actor, who studied electrical and electronic engineering, points out that while electric cars emit zero emissions on the road, their actual manufacture, according to Volvo research, emits 70% more greenhouse gases than petrol vehicles, owing in part to lithium-ion batteries, which require “rare earth metals and huge amounts of energy” to produce.
‘Perverse Hardware Selection’
“It appears a perverse choice of hardware to lead the automobile’s fight against the climate crisis,” he adds.
He goes on to say that CO2 emissions might be drastically reduced if our current fleet of new cars were held by the original owner for five years rather than sold after only three.
He writes for the paper that “we’d be enjoying the same mobility, just driving slightly older cars,” and that a “broader range of options, including hydrogen and synthetic fuels, need to be explored.”
“In terms of manufacturing, these cars have paid their environmental dues, and, while it is prudent to reduce our reliance on them, it would seem prudent to look carefully at ways to retain them while lowering their polluting effect,” he says.
“Friends with an environmental conscience frequently ask me, as a car person, whether they should buy an electric car,” he finishes. If their car is an old diesel and they do a lot of city center driving, I recommend that they upgrade. Otherwise, hold fire for the time being.
“Electric propulsion will one day provide significant global environmental benefits, but that day has yet to arrive.”
