I’m not saying anything that isn’t obvious if I say that electric cars are still very niche and of interest to all but the most enthusiastic today. However, as the cars improve and more people get interested the big switch from niche to mainstream gets closer.
Last week in the UK, where electric cars have polarized opinions (the UK is the home of the phrase «petrolhead» coined often in the well known car program, Top Gear for instance), I saw an interesting development…
The Daily Mail (not a pro-electric car rag by any means) published an article about Sir Alex Ferguson’s new electric car.
What’s the big deal? Well he is above all a football personality (football and petrolheads are very closely aligned) and he has had a lot of success recently as manger of Manchester United (one of the top UK clubs) making him a thought leader for a lot of this section of the public.
He is an aggressive character and by all means a father figure for a lot of the talented players and in turn their fans. So when I read:
‘I think the Volt is absolutely phenomenal,’ said Ferguson.
‘A friend of mine drove one in the States and kept going on and on about it, so when I had the opportunity I said ‘yeah I’m going to try it because it’s the car of the future, really.
‘I’m very pleased with it.’
I have to say that this is really significant to hear someone of this visibility in a sector of the public so potentially anti-EV.
I hope the car works for him and that he also «goes on and on about it».
Image from the Daily Mail.