In recent years, all kinds of clever people have tried to find out why the electric vehicle revolution hasn’t quite taken off yet. It’s the multi-billion dollar question that needs answering before more automakers start cutting production of EVs, shelving models and making a switch back to hybrid power. Thankfully, one UK think tank claims to have found the source of the problem: Mr Bean.
You might have thought people weren’t rushing to buy new EVs because of the high cost or fears about range that comes with some models, but no. Instead, the real cause of the slowdown in EV sales in recent months is actually British actor Rowan Atkinson, according to a recent report from Sky News.
The shocking revelation that Bean was to blame came from UK thinktank Green Alliance, which was outlining the obstacles the British government faces in its pivot to EVs earlier this week. As part of a presentation to politicians on Tuesday, the group argued that comments made by the 69-year-old actor last June really weren’t helping matters. Sky News reports:
The pressure group told peers in a letter that was shared: “One of the most damaging articles was a comment piece written by Rowan Atkinson in The Guardian which has been roundly debunked.
“Unfortunately, fact checks never reach the same breadth of audience as the original false claim, emphasising [sic] the need to ensure high editorial standards around the net zero transition.”
The Bean backlash arose after the actor wrote an opinion piece in a UK newspaper stating that he’d changed his mind about EVs. While he was once an early adopter keen to switch to battery power, last June he changed his tune and argued that electric cars were “soulless” and argued that the higher emissions in producing EVs offsets any good they may do over their lifespan.
As a result, he called on readers to stick with their older, gas-powered cars longer in order to cut their lifetime emissions. Atkinson also outlined a few alternatives to electric power that he was following through development, including hydrogen power for heavy trucks and synthetic fuel, which could one day be found in Formula 1 racing.