We had already spoken at length about the possible (negative) consequences for the uptake of the electric car linked to Donald Trump's re-election. From the promise to drill everywhere (remember? to the cry of "Drill, baby, drill!"), to the threat to roll back or eliminate many emissions standards, through to the scrapping of federal credits for purchasing an electric vehicle and the battle against the environmentalist policies of California. And that was just the beginning… Today another "clue" is added to the picture: the decision by Mark Zuckerberg's social media holding company (Meta) to eliminate fact-checkers — labelled "disgraceful" by Joe Biden — and to change course on content moderation across its social platforms is merely the latest warning sign.

What does fact-checking have to do with the electric car

Simple: "truth matters," as outgoing president Joe Biden emphasised, branding Meta's decision to abandon social media moderation as "disgraceful." It was clear to everyone that Donald Trump's return to the White House would mean a return to more conservative positions. The fact that companies like Meta have also decided to follow Trump's political line by announcing their intention to do away with fact-checkers should give us pause for thought. Even more serious is the disbanding of the diversity, equity and inclusion team — but that is not the subject for discussion here. Why, then, is this the right place to discuss the possible drift towards fake news about electric vehicles? Simple: because a large part of the problems afflicting the green transition in the automotive sector is linked precisely to misinformation or, worse, to fake news. It is now legitimate to ask what will happen next and whether, following Meta, other Big Tech companies will follow suit.

What is the relationship between the electric car and the change of course on social content moderation

To reiterate, Biden's statement that "truth matters" evidently applies across all areas of information. Here, specifically, we will try to understand why abandoning the fight against fake news could further complicate the green automotive transition, already beset by structural, political and affordability problems.

At LifeGate, with the Bugie! project, we have raised the issue on several occasions — a podcast and a book that dismantle false myths to counter misinformation, produced in collaboration with Jaguar Land Rover Italia. The aim? To spread accurate information on topics fundamental to the future, through contributions from scholars and experts. But let us look at a few concrete examples from the first edition of the Bugie! guide, designed precisely to debunk false myths about the green transition and the electric car.

"The electric car will not create new jobs"

Lie number one. The transition to electric mobility in the Italian automotive industry is generating positive expectations for employment, according to a survey conducted by the Tea observatory involving a sample of 217 companies. More than eight out of ten businesses expect a neutral or even positive effect on employment as a result of the transition. For 48.4 per cent of the companies surveyed, the changes within the automotive ecosystem will have no impact on their product lines. Across the entire European Union, a net increase in employment of at least 500,000–850,000 jobs is estimated. These scenarios — both Italian and European — could, however, deteriorate should governments and industries decide to partially or entirely relocate electric vehicle production.

"Europe has no plan for securing the materials needed to build electric cars"

Lie number two. Let us start from the premise that an electric car contains on average 207 kilograms of minerals, including graphite, copper, cobalt, rare earths, lithium, nickel and manganese, compared to 33.6 kg for a conventional car. This is estimated by the fifth Med & Italian energy report produced by the Srm research centre and the Politecnico di Torino. These are critical raw materials, the extraction of which is concentrated in a limited number of countries. The highest shares involve the Congo for cobalt (66 per cent), Australia for lithium (54 per cent), and China for graphite and rare earths (65 per cent). The European Commission has drawn up the Critical Raw Materials Act, outlining measures to ensure a secure and sustainable supply of critical raw materials.

"The electric car will be penalised by a surcharge on weight"

Lie number three. It is true that electric vehicles weigh more on average than their internal combustion equivalents, but it is equally true that the use of larger batteries is capable of giving vehicles a greater range. There will be no surcharges to pay for this: European institutions have been crystal clear on the matter. The real challenge will be to increase the energy density of batteries — that is, their capacity to store energy — so as to produce models that are increasingly lighter and more compact, economically accessible and fast to recharge.

"Betting on electric is pointless because road transport is already at a dead end"

Lie number four. The real challenge is making mobility more sustainable. Currently, the transport sector accounts for 26–27 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions, 85 per cent of which is caused by road transport. Given that the European target is to reduce them by 42 per cent by 2030, it is clear that the road transport sector must make the most ambitious contribution. On one hand, by focusing on digitalisation, which can significantly improve its efficiency. On the other, by looking to electric mobility, which can deliver around one third of the reductions needed by 2030. The remaining two thirds will be achieved through biofuels and various other modes of transport.

"We will never have enough fast charging stations on motorways"

Lie number five. With the launch of the Mercury programme and the implementation of intelligent systems to improve traffic flow, Autostrade per l'Italia (Aspi) has demonstrated its commitment to contributing to the transition towards less impactful mobility. Free to X, an Aspi group company that supplies electricity generated from sustainable sources, announced in November 2023 that it had completed the installation of 100 fast-charging stations for electric vehicles along the Italian motorway network (47 in the centre-south and 53 in the centre-north, for a total of 582 charging points, of which 398 are high-power). The presence of equipped service areas every 50 kilometres represents a significant step forward towards the wider adoption of electric vehicles.