The Environmental Delusion: Electric Vehicles are not Eco-Friendly

Electric vehicles are the green status symbol of our time for the wealthy, but are they really clean? The UK government has announced a ban on new petrol and diesel vehicles in 2030, declaring electric cars are the green future. That transition is impossible to meet; meanwhile, the EU and the US are aiming at 2035.

Open your mouth…plead the cause of the poor and needy
– Proverbs 31:9

We’re living through an era of ‘The Green Scandal,’ where the poor are sacrificed for the vanity projects of the rich. These activists don’t care that the poor are losing access to cheap food, energy, travel and housing in the rush to go green. The ‘green experts’ worship mother nature, instead of the Creator.

They exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator
– Romans 1:25

I recently walked along a London street bestrewn with a mishmash of cables and cars trying to recharge. The green campaigners haven’t considered the health and safety dilemma of covering our walkways with cables, tripping the elderly and making it hard for mums with prams to manoeuvre. They certainly haven’t thought of the future burden of every car searching to park near a charging point and the problem of charging multiple cars in one household or flat.

I brought you into a bountiful country, to eat its fruit and its goodness. But when you entered, you defiled My land and made My heritage an abomination
– Jeremiah 2:7

According to the experts, electric vehicles (EVs) are energy-efficient, deliver better performance, require lower maintenance and reduce noise pollution. With electric powering the EVs, drivers save on petrol and produce zero direct emissions, and with just two pedals it saves energy, as the driver only switches between the brake and accelerator.

The Future Environmental EV Scandal

Before you buy your expensive ‘green’ status symbol, you may need to come to terms with the truth about them. Electric vehicles may not produce tailpipe emissions, but they still cause harmful pollution, emissions in production and shocking e-waste. I’m certainly no progressive environmentalist because God gives us everything richly to enjoy, but it was Christians who pioneered the concept that God calls us to be faithful stewards of nature because it’s where His creation lives.

Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy
– 1 Timothy 6:17

The awful true costs to the environment and the taxpayer concerning EVs are not being counted because production emissions and taxpayer grants are overlooked. Yes, the poor are funding taxpayer grants so the rich can own expensive so-called green cars. Also, until all electricity is produced by green sources, EVs will run on power produced by fossil fuels.

Electric vehicles are not solving the problem, it’s a sleight of hand trick

Let’s Get Honest About Electric Vehicles

Producing Lithium-ion batteries uses shocking amounts of energy
The raw materials are expensive and polluting to obtain
The problem of replacing and recycling these batteries without significant pollution remains unsolved
Limited and unsustainable materials are used in the production of EVs
Methods of extraction used to access materials for EVs are destructive. 500,000 lbs need to be mined for every EV battery
Materials to build EVs are extracted from dangerous mines in unstable countries and can include child labour
Sourcing the materials needed aids ecological and economic chaos in corrupt nations
During the manufacturing of EVs, harmful gasses are emitted
Manufacturers of EVs use fossil fuels to build their vehicles
By-products of fossil fuels are necessary to produce EVs
EVs become more inefficient with time
EVs are subsided by expensive taxpayers’ grants, paid for by the poor
Charging points for EVs are expensive to produce, with high emission costs
Installing charging stations everywhere is detrimental to the environment
EVs are much heavier than their petrol or diesel counterparts, adding strain on roads, bridges and energy use

Depending on how we calculate the build-up of greenhouse gas emissions from mining, production, maintenance and e-waste from EVs – their green credentials are sporadic and desultory compared to the petrol or diesel alternatives. Like all post-Christian progressive policies, the full cost is not counted.

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap
– Galatians 6:7

Governments dictate EVs are the future and they will force those who want to own a brand new car to choose them. Therefore, what about the experience of possessing and driving an electric car?

You’ve bought a very expensive car, but that’s not the end:
Your range is limited by the battery size, the age of the battery, the weather, and inclines and can be greatly reduced by your driving habits
Before you go for a drive, you’ll have to plan ahead, or hope there’s a charging station near you that’s available, that works, and that’s priced fairly
In your travel plans, you’ll need to schedule time for recharging, including planning for a fast-charger that may not be functioning and could cost more
In the long term, EV owners will probably need additional insurance (public liability insurance?) for claims made by those who injure themselves by tripping on the cables where cars are being charged.
In the winter, your EV will not perform as well, and you’ll need special care to make sure its functions remain at full capacity
As EVs possess a single-speed transmission, the driving experience is unique. You’ll have speed, but no gears to manipulate for manoeuvrability
Buying the car is just the beginning of the expense, you’ll probably need expensive battery repairs and replacements
The warranty period on your battery is presently designed to cease before the need for a costly replacement
With some EVs to reduce the cost of purchase there is a monthly fee sold as a warranty for the battery
In rare cases, EV batteries burst into flames, producing environmental and personal tragedies. Damaged EVs can still burst into flames after three days. Some countries have special water tanks in which damaged EVs can be placed to prevent further combustion and release of toxic fumes
In the winter, you may need to drive in a freezing car because the drain on the battery from heating will limit your distance. God help those trapped in EVs during snow storms

Electric vehicles are the future by law and innovation will resolve some problems, but let’s not pretend to produce and drive an EV is green. I’m not against EVs and most car owners will own one in the future; I just think we need to be honest that they are not the solution they promise to be. We must speak the truth.

Speak the truth to your neighbour; give judgment in your gates for truth, justice and peace
– Zechariah 8:16

In my book How Christianity Made the Modern World, I explain how Christians founded environmentalism as a means of worship. We protect the planet because it is where God’s creation lives.

*How Christianity Made the Modern World* by Paul Backholer

I fear the post-Christian progressive environmentalists are creating a pretend ‘green’ world, where the poor are sacrificed for the guilt of the rich. Going green is shockingly expensive and the poor are being forced to choose between food, heat and travel. Green policies have reduced our access to cheap and efficient energy for all and replaced it with expensive and inefficient energy, affordable for the rich.

We must not sacrifice the poor to those who worship the spirit of mother nature.