A sketch concerning electric cars from truTV's television series “Adam Ruins Everything,” hosted by Adam Conover, has come under fire over claims of being less than green.
What happened in the sketch in question?
During one of the more recent episodes, "Adam Ruins Going Green,” Conover refers to the electric car as being basically an “ecologically problematic toy,” and emphasizes this point by portraying himself and a potential car buyer as literal toys, animated through stop-motion, during the sequence. The sketch then explains that, according to studies, electric cars will just switch forms of fuel forcing from gas stations to power-plants, which can risk adding significant carbon dioxide in the air.
Added to that, the sketch emphasizes that the construction of the car can emit greenhouse gases, especially if traditional cars are replaced with electric.
According to sources, the sketch based most of its information from an article from senior writer of Slate, Will Oremus, entitled, “How Green Is a Tesla, Really?”
What have the critics been saying?
However, some of the criticism comes from claims that information from the original article was taken out of context. For example, as Sean O'Kane of The Verge highlighted, the issue of electric cars potentially emitting significant greenhouse gases is reportedly something that varies depending on where the car is being employed. According to the article, places like West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio are admittedly not the best places for using electric cars, as the “power mix” of the “local grid” used in those places is mostly coal, and there is not much significant difference from what electric cars emit.
However, places like California, Idaho, or Washington are safer places for electric cars to be used.
David Cornell of The Inquisitir said in an op-ed not to reflect the publication, and also criticized the show, pointing out the existence of an online tool provided by the U.S. Department of Energy that proves electric cars produce less annual emissions than gasoline powered cars.
Added to that, Cornell also highlighted the fact that electric car parts can easily be recycled when compared to gasoline cars, suggesting that a switch to electric cars would be a slow, but fruitful, process.
The original sketch can be watched below.
