Harry Metcalfe really knows his combustion stuff and I have a lot of time for his perspective on (almost) everything to do with cars. He published "EVO" magazine for many years before selling it to a bigger publisher. He has a very nice collection of ICE cars, from Fiat 500 to Ferrari, Lamborghini - and recently acquired a McLaren. He HAS had an EV until recently (An I-PACE EV, then a Range Rover P400E PHEV). So, as I say, he really knows his stuff and HAS experience of both ICE and EV.
BUT I think he has a problem differentiating between HIS experience of EV and that of the wider EV population. In other words, although almost all EV users have a positive stance, he takes his own particular use-case as evidence that EVs are simply unsuitable. His video about why he had reverted from EV to ICE was a bit weird, and last weekend's one was, well, just off the scale in its one-sided and, to be honest, misinformation-packed content. I just don't understand why someone who is so knowledgeable and clearly very intelligent (not just well-read) has such a major blockage in his ability to do critical appraisal.
Ultimately, the biggest flaw in his latest video is his conviction that we can continue to burn fossil fuels - he justifies it without ever mentioning the question of the need to address global warming. I know that, for most of us, the big benefit of EV is the saving in running costs, but the wider benefit is that it's one (of many) ways that we need to cut emissions. It would have been good to hear him say something like:
"But despite EVs not being suitable for my needs, we do need to cut emissions. If going electric means keeping the planet survivable at the cost of some personal inconveniences, then we need to make the change."
This response to his "Why I'm Going Back To ICE" video is rather good ...
and the FUDMaster.
