From London's CityAM, February 23:
Green innovation always had one big problem to grapple with: affordability. Healthy, organic food is great, but not as long as it’s affordable only for the privileged few clients of Planet Organic. A pair of sustainable socks can cost you up to £30. This is not to say that those who can afford to make those choices shouldn’t; every small step counts, but the price makes the whole system inherently unfair. In very simple terms, it doesn’t work until it works for everyone.
This conundrum is now plaguing the electric cars industry too. Lauded as the revolution in transport, EVs were meant to revolutionise the way we travel around. Many jumped on the bandwagon and got one as soon as they could. But now, as the cost of power skyrockets, people are considering whether the trade-offs of going electric are worth it.
Less than a fifth of car buyers are considering buying an electric vehicle this year, compared with one in four a year ago, new research from AA shows. As inflation pushes general car prices up, and the energy crisis pushes power prices even higher, electric cars risk becoming another item for the few. The chief executive of Stellantis has warned middle classes can’t afford them anymore....
