Current Events II
Abandoned Electric Cars in France
A set of photos taken in May 2021 of abandoned electrical cars in France raised the question of the environmental friendliness of these types of cars. The person that took these photos posted them on Facebook, stating that all the cars have the same problem of the battery storage cells giving out and needing to be replaced by new and expensive ones. They also said that the batteries drain toxins into the ground and that they cannot be disposed. The Facebook post got over 130k shares in one day as people were upset to learn that something that is being advertised as green and beneficial actually harms the environment. What I find really interesting is that the photos were posted by a regular citizen who had no access to relevant information, yet people believed every single word that was written in his post. As the post got more and more attention, a French television news report said that the vehicles were used for a privately owned car-sharing service which unfortunately bankrupted in 2018. The cars were left on the field because they were not in use at the moment. The company put the cars up for sale since they desperately needed money. However, there was no problem with the functioning of the cars. Also, the batteries were not able to drain toxins into the ground as they had been removed from the cars for safety reasons. (The Observers, 2021)
Image source: Electric cars abandoned in France. (n.d.). [Photograph]. Snopes. https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/electric-cars-abandoned-france/
This is a typical example of how some people believe literally everything they read online, even when it’s written by a regular person and there is no real evidence to support the message. In fact, social media platforms are great tools for this type of fake news to spread quickly as it is so easy for others to just click the share button after reading the post. This clearly happened in this case.
Where you can read more:
Reference List:
André, E. D. L. R. S. (2021, May 31). Photos of failed electric car-sharing service in Paris become “fake news” in the US. The Observers - France 24. https://observers.france24.com/en/europe/20210601-electric-car-paris-fake-news-debunked-autolib-bluecars
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