I recently read a piece by Steven Pinker – author of Enlightenment Now – in which he describes an enlightened person as someone who has replaced faith, dogma, and folklore as a proper way to find the truth*.
The 21st century is supposed to be an enlightened era, so it frustrates me when I read or hear statements that are devoid of any attempt to find the truth. Here are three examples where no attempt is made to scrutinize facts using logic and to discard what is not true.
Dogma, Lore, Gossip…Thumb-suck
Logic/Common Sense
A member of the cabinet says that South Africa’s grid cannot handle electric cars so, we’ll have to settle for hybrids.*
Not true.
It is possible to expand the grid. By adding coal generators, but preferably by using renewables. South Africa is not unique: by looking at best practices in other countries, other options may be explored. The rest of the world is pursuing EVs, not hybrids.
A friend says EVs won’t happen because multi-level parking garages cannot bear the additional load.*
It is true.
EVs weigh approximately 35% more than ICE vehicles. That is not an EV problem. It is a fixable parking garage problem. Owners will have to determine if their structures can bear the maximum number of EVs. If not, then strengthen structures or reduce the number of bays by 35%. Additional expenditure or loss of income may be offset by charging more for parking or offering charging facilities for EVs.
A web article says that EVs are bad news because they are heavier and will cause more damage in collisions than lighter vehicles, especially to pedestrians and animals. Thus, insinuating that perhaps the whole EV thing should be shelved.*
It is true.
When a heavier object crashes into a lighter object, the lighter object will probably suffer more damage. But this has always been true, even when it was a woolly mammoth crashing into a cave lady, or an ICE vehicle into a person. It’s physics. When a car hits a pedestrian will be injured. It’s not an EV problem, it is a human error problem. Shelving “heavy” EVs is not going to prohibit pedestrian injuries. Interesting to know: Electric vehicles received the highest scores ever recorded during crash tests, proving how safe they are in the worst situations.
There are many reasons why people resist the transition to EVs: vested interests, love of ICE, and ignorance, not applying common sense and logic should not be reasons. Steven Pinker concludes by saying that those who pursued logic and reason entered an era of health, discovery, and flourishing. After all, the whole move to EVs is an effort by enlightened societies to improve the health of humans and the planet, and continue to flourish, rather than choke to a slow carbon death.
I hope this has been enlightening. Thank you for reading. If you agree or disagree let us know at [email protected] or connect with us on Facebook or LinkedIn .
*In the interest of brevity, I have paraphrased not quoted
AUTHOR: TIM SANDHAM
Tim is a greying redhead who thinks green. He is the author of books on welding, soccer and Herman Charles Bosman
