Since moving to metro Vancouver I’m continuously surprised with how common electric vehicles have become. Some may see the rise of EVs as an exciting turn towards a futuristic solarpunk utopia. I see the opposite: they are a dystopia of sorts. They are a dead end, a waste of resources in the wrong direction, a false hope.
The proliferation of personal electric vehicles is a strong marker of failure. It is a manifestation in the physical world of our inability as a society to move on from a clearly failed, car-centric way of living. Teslas kind of epitomize this – despite being just another very expensive car, despite catching fire every now and then, despite bizarre QC issues, despite its nitwit CEO, still they are seen as cool and fashionable and trendy.