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RNZ News
an hour ago
- Automotive
- RNZ News
Even EV owners believe misinformation about cars, study finds
By Annika Burgess , ABC New study finds more people believe misinformation about EVs than disagree with it. Photo: ABC News / Brendan Esposito Australians are buying more electric vehicles (EVs) than ever before, but even owners are still falling for misinformation about the battery-powered cars. New research into public perceptions about EVs found myths had become deeply embedded in society and caught up in the culture wars. Now more people believed misinformation about EVs than disagreed with it. Drivers were particularly concerned about "discredited notions" that the vehicles were more likely to catch fire, and that batteries were designed to fail. The peer-reviewed study, published in Nature Energy, was carried out in Australia, Germany, Austria, and the United States. Researchers found that many people expressed "legitimate anxiety" that EV batteries may run out before reaching a destination. But there were several misinformation-related concerns that were so "grounded in myth" even EV owners agreed with them. Many people largely believed reports that batteries were made to be deliberately non-upgradeable. Consumers were also under the impression that EVs emit electromagnetic fields that can damage health, are less safe in a collision, and produce more carbon emissions over a lifetime than traditional cars. Chris Bretter from the University of Queensland, which led the study, described these types of claims as "demonstrably false". "We know this sort of false information is out there and circulating, but the scale of acceptance is concerning and poses a significant challenge to the global transition to more sustainable transport," Bretter said. "The fact that even EV owners were more likely than not to agree with misinformation underscores just how embedded it's become in society." Many consumers believed EV batteries were deliberately made non-upgradeable Photo: ABC News / Kimberley Bernard Media reports describing EVs as being highly combustive, "like a bomb" were contributing to fears about the cars' batteries catching fire, the researchers said. There was also a tendency for misinformation to be spread in conservative communication channels, raising concerns about EV attitudes being "drawn into the culture wars". "The fact that even owners had high levels of misinformation agreement underscores the extent to which misinformation has permeated the population," the report stated. The survey found that having a conspiracy mentality was the main factor influencing beliefs. The report said that suspicions could arise if there were perceived motives for government or industry to exaggerate the benefits of a technology and disguise its dangers. "Given that EVs are a multi-billion-dollar industry frequently supported by emissions-sensitive governments, it seems plausible they could become targets of suspicion for those who see such relationships through the lens of corruption and secret agendas," the researchers said. UQ Business School professor Matthew Hornsey said education played no role in whether survey respondents agreed with false information about EVs. "The biggest predictor of whether a person accepted misinformation statements was actually conspiracy mentality - a tendency to believe conspiracies occur and seeing the world through a lens of corruption and secret agendas," Hornsey said. "This same outlook has also been associated with opposition to science-backed technologies like vaccinations and wind farms. "The results show public understanding of EVs has been distorted by an information landscape shaped by myths, selective framing and speculative reasoning," he said. Researchers say attitudes about EVs were being drawn into the culture wars. Photo: ABC News / Jess Davis The researchers tested strategies to reduce belief in EV misinformation, increase support for pro-EV policy and an intention to purchase the vehicles. They provided information to consumers using a traditional fact sheet and conversations with generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT. Both were found to have success in reducing misinformation. "Encouragingly, both strategies resulted in lower endorsement of EV misinformation, even 10 days on," Better said. The researchers were particularly interested in the effect of dialogues with AI on public mistrust, and the results were encouraging. It resulted in "large and durable decreases in individuals' conspiracy theorising". "This is the first evidence that non-curated conversations with Generative AI can have positive effects on misinformation, showing its promise for possible future solution-focused interventions on a large scale," Bretter said. "Given the global need to transition toward more sustainable transport options, it is crucial we address the prevalence of misinformation about energy efficient technologies like EVs." The project also involved researchers from the Leibniz Institute for Psychology and the University of Hohenheim in Germany. This research was supported by an ARC Laureate grant and a grant from Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation). - This article was originally published by ABC.
ABC News
17 hours ago
- Automotive
- ABC News
Even Australia's EV owners believe misinformation about cars, study finds
Australians are buying more electric vehicles (EVs) than ever before, but even owners are still falling for misinformation about the battery-powered cars. New research into public perceptions about EVs found myths had become deeply embedded in society and caught up in the culture wars. Now more people believed misinformation about EVs than disagreed with it. Drivers were particularly concerned about "discredited notions" that the vehicles were more likely to catch fire, and that batteries were designed to fail. The peer-reviewed study, published in Nature Energy, was carried out in Australia, Germany, Austria, and the United States. Researchers found that many people expressed "legitimate anxiety" that EV batteries may run out before reaching a destination. But there were several misinformation-related concerns that were so "grounded in myth" even EV owners agreed with them. Many people largely believed reports that batteries were made to be deliberately non-upgradeable. Consumers were also under the impression that EVs emit electromagnetic fields that can damage health, are less safe in a collision, and produce more carbon emissions over a lifetime than traditional cars. Chris Bretter from the University of Queensland, which led the study, described these types of claims as "demonstrably false". "We know this sort of false information is out there and circulating, but the scale of acceptance is concerning and poses a significant challenge to the global transition to more sustainable transport," Dr Bretter said. "The fact that even EV owners were more likely than not to agree with misinformation underscores just how embedded it's become in society." Media reports describing EVs as being highly combustive, "like a bomb" were contributing to fears about the cars' batteries catching fire, the researchers said. There was also a tendency for misinformation to be spread in conservative communication channels, raising concerns about EV attitudes being "drawn into the culture wars". "The fact that even owners had high levels of misinformation agreement underscores the extent to which misinformation has permeated the population," the report stated. The survey found that having a conspiracy mentality was the main factor influencing beliefs. The report said that suspicions could arise if there were perceived motives for government or industry to exaggerate the benefits of a technology and disguise its dangers. "Given that EVs are a multi-billion-dollar industry frequently supported by emissions-sensitive governments, it seems plausible they could become targets of suspicion for those who see such relationships through the lens of corruption and secret agendas," the researchers said. UQ Business School professor Matthew Hornsey said education played no role in whether survey respondents agreed with false information about EVs. "The biggest predictor of whether a person accepted misinformation statements was actually conspiracy mentality — a tendency to believe conspiracies occur and seeing the world through a lens of corruption and secret agendas," Professor Hornsey said. "This same outlook has also been associated with opposition to science-backed technologies like vaccinations and wind farms. "The results show public understanding of EVs has been distorted by an information landscape shaped by myths, selective framing and speculative reasoning," he said. The researchers tested strategies to reduce belief in EV misinformation, increase support for pro-EV policy and an intention to purchase the vehicles. They provided information to consumers using a traditional fact sheet and conversations with generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT. Both were found to have success in reducing misinformation. "Encouragingly, both strategies resulted in lower endorsement of EV misinformation, even 10 days on," Dr Better said. The researchers were particularly interested in the effect of dialogues with AI on public mistrust, and the results were encouraging. It resulted in "large and durable decreases in individuals' conspiracy theorising". "This is the first evidence that non-curated conversations with Generative AI can have positive effects on misinformation, showing its promise for possible future solution-focused interventions on a large scale," Dr Bretter said. "Given the global need to transition toward more sustainable transport options, it is crucial we address the prevalence of misinformation about energy efficient technologies like EVs." The project also involved researchers from the Leibniz Institute for Psychology and the University of Hohenheim in Germany. This research was supported by an ARC Laureate grant and a grant from Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation).
West Australian
18 hours ago
- Automotive
- West Australian
Electric vehicle myths pose ‘significant challenge' to world's transition to sustainable transport options
Misinformation about electric vehicles, from how likely they are to burst into flames to their green credentials, is rife — even among those who own them. University of Queensland-led research suggests more people believe misinformation about EVs than disagree with it, posing a 'significant challenge' to the world's transition to more sustainable transport options. When presented with misleading statements, people were more inclined to agree than disagree that EVs were at a higher risk of catching fire than petrol cars, that the batteries were designed to be non-upgradeable and that the cars do not produce emissions savings. The research, published in Nature Energy and released late Monday, is based on surveys in Australia, the US, Germany and Australia. UQ business school's Chris Bretter said the extent to which people would accept misinformation about EVs, even if they drove one, was 'concerning'. 'The misinformation statements we tested included that EVs are more likely to catch fire than petrol cars, do not produce emission savings and emit electromagnetic fields that damage health. . . all claims which are demonstrably false,' Dr Bretter said. 'We know this sort of false information is out there and circulating, but the scale of acceptance is concerning and poses a significant challenge to the global transition to more sustainable transport. 'The fact that even EV owners were more likely than not to agree with misinformation underscores just how embedded it's become in society.' EV cars accounted for about 20 per cent of all vehicles sold globally last year. In Australia, where EV sales have been more sluggish than Europe, sales of electric and plug-in hybrid cars were up 14 per cent for the year. Even the polarising nature of Tesla boss Elon Musk — and his association with the Donald Trump administration in the US — could not stop a 10.4 per cent spike in Australian EV car sales last month, fuelled in part by the arrival of a new Tesla model. That followed a global drop in Tesla sales attributed in part to Mr Musk's unpopularity. New Australian vehicle efficiency standards are expected to help further drive sales. Professor Matthew Hornsey said a person's level of education did not effect how likely they were to agree with false statements about EVs. However, their willingness to embrace conspiracy theories did. Some participants had unfounded concerns about the risk of EVs to health and the environment and believed there was a 'secret agenda' to exaggerate their benefits. 'The biggest predictor of whether a person accepted misinformation statements was actually conspiracy mentality — a tendency to believe conspiracies occur and seeing the world through a lens of corruption and secret agendas,' he said. 'This same outlook has also been associated with opposition to science-backed technologies like vaccinations and wind farms. 'The results show public understanding of EVs has been distorted by an information landscape shaped by myths, selective framing and speculative reasoning.' The UQ researchers found that people given either a fact sheet on EVs or a chance to 'talk' to AI tool ChatGPT were less likely to believe EV misinformation afterwards.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
African green hydrogen ‘prohibitively expensive' for Europe: Report
Hydrogen exports from Africa to Europe will remain 'prohibitively expensive' without policy interventions, a new study suggested. The fuel known as 'green' hydrogen — made by splitting hydrogen out of water molecules using renewable electricity — has drawn much interest globally as a way to decarbonize heavy industries that are hard to electrify. As countries assess the most economically viable places from which to procure the fuel, some governments in Europe have been exploring importing cheaper green hydrogen in the form of ammonia from countries including Kenya, Mauritania, and Namibia. Research published by the journal Nature Energy, however, found that 'de-risking and strategic location selection' would be key to making African green hydrogen exports competitive with those of other regions.
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Rethinking Hydrogen's Role in Decarbonization
Hydrogen was supposed to be at the heart of the global decarbonization movement. Lofty goals were set to implement green hydrogen into the transport, shipping, manufacturing, and energy storage industries, with the promise that hydrogen's versatility would allow for the decarbonization of even the most hard-to-abate sectors. But the hydrogen hype has fizzled over the years as the gap between ambition and implementation has grown ever wider. In 2023, less than a tenth of planned green hydrogen projects were actually carried out. 'Tracking 190 projects over 3 years, we identify a wide 2023 implementation gap with only 7% of global capacity announcements finished on schedule,' researchers wrote in a paper published earlier this year in the scientific journal Nature Energy. The authors of the paper, 'The green hydrogen ambition and implementation gap', identify three main drivers of the green hydrogen implementation gap. The first is that green hydrogen is pricey to produce, and costs are ticking up. The second is insufficient offtake agreements, which may be due to industry anxieties about 'the risk of becoming locked into an expensive and potentially scarce energy carrier.' Finally, the third reason is that more robust policy measures will be necessary to de-risk investment in green hydrogen. Indeed, government subsidies will be absolutely critical to get green hydrogen off the ground. 'We estimate that, without carbon pricing, realizing all these projects would require global subsidies of US$1.3 trillion (US$0.8–2.6 trillion range), far exceeding announced subsidies,' the Nature Energy study found. 'Given past and future implementation gaps, policymakers must prepare for prolonged green hydrogen scarcity.' However, a new paper from Nature Reviews shows that there is still hope for hydrogen within a cleaner energy future, but that we will have to be more selective about its applications. Years of failed and half-failed hydrogen projects have shown us that while the fuel stock is not a panacea for greenhouse gas emissions, but that certain applications still hold enormous promise if we can deploy them at scale. Specifically, hydrogen still holds critical potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in industry, long-duration energy storage and long-haul transport. On the other hand, hydrogen likely does not hold a solution for fuel cell cars and space heating, as it has not remained competitive with electric alternatives. The reviewers suggest that it would therefore be strategic to focus on the areas where hydrogen holds the most promise, and let other technologies take the lead in sectors where hydrogen does not have a competitive edge. 'Clean hydrogen should be strategically deployed in areas where it seems likely to have greatest potential for cost and sustainability benefits compared with alternatives such as direct electrification with clean power sources,' the paper states. 'Green' or 'clean' hydrogen is necessarily made using renewable energies, while most hydrogen currently used in industry is 'gray' hydrogen, which is produced using fossil fuels and which therefore carries significant upstream emissions. But, critically, green hydrogen is not always the best application of clean energies. In many cases, the most eco-friendly and economically efficient application of renewable energy is to use it directly rather than using it to produce green hydrogen, which will then go on to be used as a secondary energy source. However, this cost-benefit analysis shifts over a longer timeline. 'In the short term, renewable electricity could achieve greater emissions abatement if used directly to displace fossil fuels in power generation, heating or transport, instead of being used for green hydrogen production,' reads the Nature Reviews Perspective. 'In the longer term, hydrogen could instead facilitate renewables uptake by integrating excess generation into power systems.' In short, the green hydrogen era is not over before it has truly begun, but we will need to be discerning and strategic about its implementation. Furthermore, technologies will have to see significant advances and be scaled out to a commercial level for green hydrogen to be economically viable. By Haley Zaremba for More Top Reads From this article on
