‘Mr. Bean’ actor Rowan Atkinson disses EVs but is he right?

British actor Rowan Atkinson recently wrote an opinion piece in The Guardian, claiming he feels “duped” for buying an electric car as they aren’t as environmentally friendly as he thought them to be.

Reflecting on the UK government's proposal to ban the sale of gasoline cars by 2030, he pointed out facts and studies indicating electric car manufacturing generates nearly 70% higher greenhouse gas emissions than gas cars.

Atkinson further added that the use of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles (EV) is “a perverse choice” for fighting climate change.

Rebuttal
But EV experts were quick to jump on social media to point out that CO2 emissions from electric cars are “3x less” than gas cars in the long run. Researchers said, “A fossil fuel economy involves 535x more mining than a clean economy, EVs included.”

Increasing EV dominance
Last year saw more than 10.2 million electric cars sold worldwide, out of which nearly 6 million were in China and 1 million in the US. The International Energy Agency (IEA) projects 14 million electric cars will be sold this year.

The EU and California are planning to end the sale of gasoline-only cars by 2035.

EVs are not just a climate-conscious choice, as some point out. Many people buy them for their superior technology too.

However
A recent study from the Engine Research Lab at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, points out that hybrid cars are the most environmentally friendly option. The research found that Battery Electric Cars (BEVs) emit 15-50% more greenhouse gases in different categories than other vehicles.