In this blog post, I will look at the reasons why electric vehicles are being shunned even by environmentally conscious modern people, and critically examine the selfish consumer psychology behind it.
Recently, people’s awareness of environmental protection has been heightened by the continued haze caused by fine dust. A television program also raised awareness of environmental pollution by showing celebrities who minimize waste and recycle what they throw away. As a result, consumers are choosing eco-friendly products that emit less pollutants at the same price and are making efforts to eat organic food for their health. For people with this kind of environmental awareness, electric vehicles are an ideal choice.
However, in reality, electric vehicles are not very popular. How often have you come across an electric vehicle in your daily life? Electric vehicles and regular gasoline-powered cars don’t look much different, so you might not have recognized one if you had seen one. Also, how many people around you have you seen trying to buy an electric car? How many times have you seen an electric car on TV? Even if you have heard the name of an electric car company called Tesla in the media, you probably haven’t come across an electric car in your daily life. Why are electric cars that protect the environment not easily found around us?
When people who want to buy a car or who have bought a car after the launch of electric cars are asked about their experience of buying an electric car, most of them express their dissatisfaction. They often express doubts such as “I still don’t believe in the performance of electric cars” and “How do I charge an electric car if I buy it?” Economic dissatisfaction is also frequently mentioned, such as “electric vehicles are more expensive than expected” and “government subsidy policies are not systematic.” Some even question, “The electricity used in electric vehicles is ultimately produced by burning fossil fuels. Are electric vehicles really eco-friendly?” These consumers’ negative viewpoints are not entirely wrong. In fact, they are facing many obstacles that electric vehicles must overcome.
So where has the concern for the environment gone? Why do modern people, who have been reducing waste and recycling to protect the environment, have such a cold attitude towards electric vehicles? The reason can be found by looking more deeply into the environmental awareness of modern people.
The behaviors of being concerned about fine dust, using eco-friendly products, and eating organic food are primarily aimed at protecting the environment. However, if you look closely, these behaviors also contain benefits for humans themselves. For example, people are concerned about the health of their own bronchi, or they are afraid of environmental hormones, so they are working to protect the environment in order to live longer and healthier. Ultimately, humans are more interested in protecting the environment when it benefits them. From this perspective, it is easy to see why electric vehicles are not popular. Electric vehicles are products that protect the environment, but in the short term, they do not significantly benefit users. On the contrary, it can be a burden to users in terms of performance and charging. This is why people are not very interested in electric vehicles. This is why interest in electric vehicles remains at a mere curiosity level and does not lead to purchases. This is also the fundamental reason why consumers turn away from electric vehicles, even when the government offers various incentives to promote their use. At the same time, it is an example of human selfishness towards environmental protection.
The selfishness of humans towards the environment, as revealed by electric vehicles, is not really surprising. It is no exaggeration to say that the history of science and technology is the history of environmental destruction, as humans have seriously damaged the environment of the Earth. Since the beginning of agriculture, rivers and fields have been transformed to suit human needs, and the invention of the internal combustion engine has led to the burning of coal and the creation of pollutants such as fine dust. We have now reached the point where we treat living things in nature through genetic engineering. Perhaps the reason why we are wearing masks in bad air, buying bottled water, and suffering from global warming is the price we have paid for our abuse of nature.
However, our attitude toward these punishments is far too complacent. Humans still cannot get rid of the habit of destroying the environment for their own benefit, and they want to pay the price for their crimes in a way that leaves them with some profit. So what should we do? Let’s go back to electric vehicles and think about it.
The biggest reason we hesitate to buy an electric vehicle is the economic burden, or the price. The money we have to spend right now feels bigger than protecting the environment. This stems from short-sighted selfishness that only thinks about immediate profits. However, these problems can be easily solved by widening one’s perspective a little. Why have we thought of the environment and humans separately? Why are we forgetting that humans live within the larger framework of the environment? Why do we keep forgetting that buying an electric car is ultimately a way to keep our lives healthier and longer?
The electric vehicle has given us an opportunity to reflect on our selfish attitude towards the environment. We must realize that the environment and humans are not separate, and that humans live in the environment. We must remember that consumption for the environment is not a donation without a price, but an investment in the future. I hope that we will take this opportunity to reflect on our selfishness, which has been revealed once again through the electric vehicle, and remember to love the environment.
