Mirror, Status Signal, Manoeuvre - Will EVs Forever Pander To The Rich?
Once the road was ruled by 4x4s and combine harvesters.
Nowadays it’s ruled by the rich.
Or, at least, that may be the way we see it. Electric cars are proven to produce lower emissions, cheaper refuelling costs and a smoother driving experience, but aside from techno-pessimism and the off-putting links between the tech and one of its founding fathers, Elon Musk, the biggest barrier when it comes to purchasing one of these vehicles is, undeniably, cost. Yet, surely we all know a friend or family member who owns an electric car and never shuts up about it. They take you for a test drive, wipe their palm along the paintwork, reel off all the costs and screens and remark, perhaps indirectly, and almost certainly condescending, on how inferior your little fossil fuel rustbucket is in comparison. While the upkeep of a car is necessary for many to commute to and from work or complete the school run, electric cars have become a status symbol for many who are living very comfortably indeed. If we are to hit net zero targets and reduce colossal emissions rates on our roads, we must first overcome this price-capping stigma. Because, for vehicles that are so damn quiet, their owners are especially loud about how good they are for the environment and therefore how catastrophic your actions are.
This snobbery permeates onto both sides of the debate. Brits are notoriously stubborn for being set in their own ways, and the introduction of screens and ADAS (advanced driver assistance systems) into vehicles may alone be considered an insulting attack on individual decision-making and instinct. Where once car snobbery revolved around the prestige of different brands, now it concerns the range and technology these vehicles can deliver. EV systems are concerned with increased safety, but word quickly spreads in tabloids if the brakes on one of these cars goes haywire. As with any change, it will first be met with great anxiety before being greeted with certain tolerance. Look at the introduction of driverless taxis, and see that all our concerns about electric cars are deemed comparatively feeble. Any issues with attitude on either side of this debate, those who purchase EVs after seeing the significant environmental benefits in doing so or those who still consider these cars inescapably “Luxury vehicles” from which working and middle classes are eternally capped from buying, are easy to get behind. In one corner, we are all trying to cut down costs to keep pace with an ever-present cost of living crisis, and in the other, we are doing our best to make adjustments to our carbon footprint. These two instances are not usually mutually exclusive.
Over the past few months, sales of second-hand EVs have reportedly increased, but this is only because those who were open to buying electric cars in the first place are now on their second or third one. Either because of techno-pessimism, or most likely economical factors, rates of reticence remain particularly high, especially, surprisingly, among Gen Z. According to a study from YouGov published in August, electric vehicle owners are more likely to encompass Gen X. Based on that same study, 48% of those with electric vehicles class themselves as being from a higher-income background. Currently, the UK government hopes to ban petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030 and hybrid vehicles, which use a gas engine and electric motor, by 2035. To claim this is an attitude problem alone would be disingenuous. Price is what it will take to turn EVs from something that your rich frenemy brags about into something that every vehicle you know has access to.
As global energy markets continue to face disturbance from conflict in the Middle East, visiting a petrol station is a source of dread, with numbers that never seem to stop rising; the prospect of EVs has become more attractive. Where American companies like Tesla kept the status symbol element in mind when designing their cars, certain Chinese manufacturers, like BYD, are working to make these cars more affordable and accessible to all. This is the same company, by the way, that made cell-phone batteries for notoriously economical companies like Nokia and Motorola, so maybe vehicles will go the way of the phone. It will take a while, though. Roll-out of these cars into affordable markets is not projected to land until about 2030, so you may have to put up with your self-aggrandising frenemy a little longer before EVs become more than a status symbol and they become just another car.
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