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Comment by rmbyrro | Hacker News Reader

No, this is terrible for the EV industry.

It causes uncertainty and removes willingness in private business and citizens to lead the change. More and more will start considering it may be better to wait and move only when the risk is low.

Switzerland is considering banning EVs. Even if they don't, your car is banned if you can't charge it...

This is different from an oil supply issue. It's your government telling you to buy an EV than the same government (not a foreign one) denying you electricity out of stupidity.

Edit: Switzerland isn't banning EVs, more appropriate to say it's considering restricting EVs

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I didn’t know if you followed the news but France had a massive oil crisis in the last months, people were scrambling to fill the car. Every energy source has risks and electricity is more modular than oil because it can be produced for many different sources. Also we live in a time of crisis, we have to not be so weak and accept temporary restrictions for the greater good.

I follow the news in France, but the reason people were scrambling to fill their cars had nothing to do with an energy crisis.

The first wave of "people scrambling to fill their cars" was caused by union strikes at French refineries in October, leading to supply shortages at the pumps.

The second wave was caused by people scrambling to fill up their cars at a lower price per litre, before the government "subsidy" on fuel was reduced in mid-November. Whatever one might think of people who will sit in a traffic queue for several hours to save €10 at the pump, it has nothing to do with an energy crisis.

Why does the reason matter? The fact is that people want to present combustion engines as more robust while they‘re clearly not. France can’t produce oil on its own territory much.

It matters for consumer behavior, I think.

In my opinion, the current energy crisis in France is more damning for the vehicle electrification plans than what you mentioned for gas cars.

One thing is the government telling you to buy EVs and then totally failing to deliver the "E" of the equation.

Another thing is an event caused by third-parties.

Maybe people will decide to have two cars, then: gas and electric.

Point is: it doesn't look good for the EV industry. Saying the oil industry is ugly doesn't help.

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