Michael Moore’s electric vehicle myths only benefit the fossil fuel industry

The Driven

One of the most unpleasant feelings in the world is having to revisit something you thought you were done with. The recent release of the Michael Moore produced film ‘Planet of the Humans’ has triggered many unpleasant feelings; mostly from those who found themselves having to revisit genuinely old myths about energy, climate and technology.

The film’s been out for nearly a month now, and the list of critiques outlining the misinformation in the film is extremely long – that’s a lot of people having a bad time.

No matter how annoying it is, it’s still important to set the record straight as much as possible. The film makes a point of specifically attacking things that are frankly and simply working pretty well. Wind and solar are derided in the film; they’ve become, quite simply, the ultimate workhorses of decarbonisation. And electric vehicles – similarly attacked in the film – are shaping up as a badly underestimated component in the decarbonisation of transport.

It is easy to take swipes at people working to uncouple humanity from fossil fuels. Everything is a work in progress, and everything will be for our lifetimes, without any doubt. It is no brave thing to launch these deeply easy attacks, and it is no simple thing to repair the damage. But the film makes some gargantuan mistakes about the potential for electrification of vehicles, and it’s worth breaking them down.

To read the full version of this story – and view the photo gallery – on RenewEconomy’s electric vehicle dedicated site, The Driven, click here…

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