everything is going wrong.
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Similar to video games and many scientific or technical topics, mainstream media appears to struggle with impartial coverage of certain areas, such as electric vehicles (EVs), which are often underserved by reassuring and positive reports.
The Electric Vehicle Dilemma
Last year, TF1 was repeatedly criticized for spreading misinformation and producing biased reports.
The reporter was even caught red-handed sabotaging the course of a pre-planned route by deliberately not starting with a full battery, charging at slow stations, and only stopping at broken charging points… It’s hard to imagine a worse scenario!
Despite this, our colleagues have not really changed their editorial stance this year. We still haven’t seen any truly encouraging topics or incentives to switch to electric vehicles. Instead, headlines continue to promote fear, like the story suggesting the risk of electrocution while washing the car… even though the information is completely unfounded (there have been no such accidents). Let’s not forget the stories about EVs that catch fire
which local press keeps bringing up even though all statistics show… exactly the opposite (gasoline cars catch fire more often than EVs).
Sometimes there are exceptions like LCI, which takes the time to invite automobile experts, a practice all too rare – often preferring to listen to François-Xavier Pietri or François Lenglet, two journalists who hardly hide their dislike for EVs. We could also mention that disheartening report from Le Figaro which makes you wonder if the journalists spent more than 3 minutes planning their journey – they managed to connect to the only slow charger at a fast-charging station during their entire lunch break and of course, set off on a tour of Europe… without any charging cards! Given the budget and time spent on the road, it might have been wiser for their employer to send them back to journalism school, because even an intern would have done a better job.
Unlisteda few weeks after its release… it would have been wiser to remove the video!
In reality, since there’s no longer much of a problem charging on highways, the topic has shifted to the supposedly higher costs compared to diesel. RTL doesn’t hesitate to mention 10.80€ per 100km, similar to BFM/RMC which estimates that a 50 kWh fill-up costs… 25€.
Problem is, these are consistently the highest rates mentioned here, while at Tesla, you find chargers costing around 25 to 35 cents/kWh (less than 5€ per 100km), the same at Ionity Electra or Fastned if you subscribe to a small plan often paid off with the first charge.
Another crucial detail never mentioned, the first charge of a long trip is often done at home and allows for 250 to 400km for… 8 to 15€ on average (depending on the size of the battery and the subscription), which is less than 4-5€ per 100km. For instance, a 50 kWh battery (R4/R5) at 12cts/kWh (Tempo blue) costs 6€ for a full fill, 9.8€ for a large 80 kWh battery. These figures are never mentioned in the newspapers.
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Finally, if neither the number of charging stations nor the price deters a potential buyer (who probably already gave up), what remains is… the mental load, the latest clickbait
find by Le Monde which relies on a few testimonials from beginners to support its narrative. This is the fourth app I’ve installed on my smartphone, complains the young father
. To instill fear, nothing works better than interviewing novices, who will soon realize that you don’t need 40 apps to charge and that a good charging card paired with a credit card is usually enough for 99% of stations.
Seeking Biased Testimonials
Even more frustrating, our colleagues are chasing… the customers’ mishaps!
Last year, TF1 did not hide its intent to find dissatisfied electric vehicle owners, which they eventually did!
The cost of recharging also seems to be a deterrent for users. Véronique, who drives 1200 kilometers a month in an electric car, compared the cost to a thermal vehicle per 100 km: “It’s 8.59 euros and I’m at 13.07 euros, so there’s no comparison, it’s much more expensive than a thermal car. Tomorrow, if they give me the keys to a thermal car, I’d take a thermal car.”
To get an average of 13€/100Km, you need not only very high consumption (25 kWh/100Km) and the highest kWh rate on the market (on the highway, without a subscription etc.). If dear Véro drives 1200Km per month, one would assume she’s smart enough not to always pay the highest rate… and charge the rest of the time at home.
At the end of the summer, it’s Nice Matin’s turn to call for witnesses. Did you experience difficulties this summer with your electric vehicle? Tell us about it
can be read in the newspaper. In the fine print of the form, it’s possible to indicate that you’re happy to have switched to electric
but I’d bet that these overwhelmingly positive real-life testimonials will be underrepresented in the article.
Why go to such lengths to seek out only the dissatisfied users of electric vehicles when the period should, on the contrary, be used to reassure and educate a still novice public on the subject? EVs represent only 20% of sales in France and neighboring countries, proof that there’s much left to do.
Just following the tests and various reports, like here on Mac4Ever, would show that autonomy, charging, and operating costs are no longer really a problem, as long as one is minimally informed. While not everything is perfect, it’s high time that mainstream press stops indulging in constant misinformation about electric vehicles.