@ccferrie

I think the left/green needs to beware of negativity around electric cars - specifically, it should view, and represent electric cars not as a continuation of the car problem, but as part of the transition away from car dependency.

The developed world has been constructed around personal car ownership. Some on the left/green may not be fully conscious of this, because they are concentrated in cities that already have decent public transport, bike-able distances, etc - or among the young, or maybe in deep green rural enclaves.

But many people are dependent on cars - many even on 2 or more cars, for example if family members work some distance from different jobs, in an area not served by public transport.

Not only where people's homes and jobs are, but much else about our existing infrastructure has been constructed around car ownership - where shops, hospitals, schools, etc are located, where leisure and tourist facilities are, etc, etc...

In particular, for elderly people, people with disabilities or health problems, or small children or other caring responsibilities, cars are vital.

The point is that reducing car use and personal car ownership is not going to happen quickly, because for many people it requires fundamental changes not just to public transport, but to the whole built environment - and to community organisation, for example the development of car co-ops in every neighbourhood - not to mention changes to lifestyles, psychology, etc...

The focus of the left/green, therefore, should be on the relative positives of electric cars as a vital part of the green transition - and the positives of electric car co-ops in local community ownership, replacing personal car ownership, so that people that can't cycle, or get where they want to go on public transport, can be welcomed into the green transition.