zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Beyond Cars
/
Rowan Atkinson Is Already Fed Up With EVs
Rowan Atkinson Is Already Fed Up With EVs-December 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:13:48

A photo of Rowan Atkinson in a vintage race car.

Right now, option we have when it comes to cutting emissions from our travel. As such, they’re that are often billed as the savior of the daily drive. But do you know who’s not convinced by all this? Rowan Atkinson.

The Mr. Bean actor has written a column for discussing his hesitancy around the switch to EVs, despite being a self-confessed “early” adopter.

In the piece, Atkinson waxes lyrically about his initial love for electric vehicles. Sure, he calls EVs “soulless,” but he also and explains that he’s “enjoyed” the past 18 years that saw him drive various plug-in hybrids and all-electric models.

But, he says that he started feeling “duped” over the environmental claims of EVs once he started to “drill into the facts,” which is always a slightly stressful sentence to read. However, instead of concocting conspiracy theories about how EVs cause COVID or some nonsense, the Johnny English star instead highlights the shortcomings of the current crop of EVs. He writes:

“Electric cars, of course, have zero exhaust emissions, which is a welcome development, particularly in respect of the air quality in city centers. But if you zoom out a bit and look at a bigger picture that includes the car’s manufacture, the situation is very different.

“In advance of the Cop26 climate conference in Glasgow in 2021, Volvo released figures claiming that greenhouse gas emissions during production of an electric car are nearly 70% higher than when manufacturing a petrol one.”

This problem, he says, is caused by , which is essential for EV battery production, and the sheer weight of EVs. This, he believes, makes them “a perverse choice of hardware with which to lead the automobile’s fight against the climate crisis.”

A photo of a hydrogen-powered Toyota.

Instead, Atkinson looks to the developments that are still a few years off to save us from our impending climate doom. , which could one day offer quicker charge times and longer ranges from a smaller power pack. But this technology is still at least 10 years away, according to some experts.

And, if we can’t use these batteries, Atkinson suggests hydrogen instead. , Atkinson says, would be much more suited to trucks and other heavy machines. He writes:

“JCB, the company that makes yellow diggers, has made huge strides with hydrogen engines and hopes to put them into production in the next couple of years. If hydrogen wins the race to power trucks – and as a result every filling station stocks it – it could be a popular and accessible choice for cars.”

But , namely what source will we use to provide the electricity that separates hydrogen atoms from water, as is the most common way to produce pure hydrogen today.

A photo of Rowan Atkinson holding a Martini glass.

Because of these emerging technologies, Atkinson believes that the “honeymoon with electric cars” as we know them today could already be coming to an end. Instead, he says buyers are “realizing that a wider range of options need to be explored” if we want to keep driving ourselves around town while not slowly boiling the planet.

You can read Atkinson’s full .

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Beyond Cars
Someone Actually Shot Down A $200 Drone From Amazon With A Patriot Missile
Someone Actually Shot Down A $200 Drone From Amazon With A Patriot Missile
U.S. General David Perkins an audience at a military symposium recently that a U.S. ally shot down a $200 drone with a Patriot missile, usually used to take down Iraqi Scuds. He said the drone “did not stand a chance against a Patriot,” according to of his remarks. No shit....
Dec 21, 2025
How The Honda VFR800 Kept Me On Motorcycles
How The Honda VFR800 Kept Me On Motorcycles
This was the script for every ride I went on for about two years: It starts as a pinpoint of pain, about halfway up my spine and maybe an inch to the right of center. Nothing to worry about, a little stiffness is all. Keep going. Then it blossoms from...
Dec 21, 2025
Here's The Cutting Edge Weapon The U.S. Air Force Is Developing To Combat War Drones
Here's The Cutting Edge Weapon The U.S. Air Force Is Developing To Combat War Drones
Yes, it is a shotgun, and yes the system is called SkyNet. Lacking a long-term approach to tackle the increasing accessibility, flexibility and volatility of drone warfare, the U.S. Air Force is turning to small contract, quick turn-around solutions to defend against smaller and lighter unmanned aircraft threats. The best...
Dec 21, 2025
Japan Sending Its Definitely-Not-An-Aircraft-Carrier Into The South China Sea
Japan Sending Its Definitely-Not-An-Aircraft-Carrier Into The South China Sea
In an effort to showcase its own might in the South China Sea, Japan is set to dispatch its largest warship, the JS Izumo aircraft carri—I mean, , on a three-month tour through the contested body of water. The move comes as China continues in the area—often violating other nations’...
Dec 21, 2025
The Army Will Finally Be Able To Blast Drones With Lasers Soon
The Army Will Finally Be Able To Blast Drones With Lasers Soon
Hopefully, days in which the U.S. Army will come to an eventually end when the service starts using a 60-kilowatt laser system in a few months. Earlier this month, the Lockheed Martin laser produced a 58 kilowatt beam—a record, —and by the time the Army gets the system, it is...
Dec 21, 2025
Why America's New Nuke Upgrades Would Be An Endgame For Russia
Why America's New Nuke Upgrades Would Be An Endgame For Russia
A new “super-fuze” device incorporated into submarine-launched ballistic missile warheads are so deadly and accurate that they could possibly wipe out an entire fleet of Russian intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) in their silos, creating a preemptive strike-first capability that would give Russia little time to respond. And it’s the sort...
Dec 21, 2025
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved