Before EVs became political, there was the Prius

The political polarisation of battery-powered cars may have started when Toyota released its first hybrid model 25 years ago, writes Lawrence Ulrich from New York

- Lawrence Ulrich

The marketing for the Toyota Prius may have inadvertently started the culture war around hybrid and electric vehicles by characterising them as a way to save the planet, some experts say.

(PHOTOS BY NYT)

In a different world, an electric vehicle would be just another car. But in today's hyper-partisan climate, battery-powered cars carry not just passengers but a punishing load of political and cultural baggage.

Supporters may view electric cars as heroes, helping halt climate change or making American automakers more competitive around the world. But others see in them the heavy hand of government, pressuring consumers to ditch petrol whether they are ready to or not. Throw in Elon Musk and his highly charged social media commentary, and even loyalists of his car company, Tesla, may no longer know whom or what to believe in.

"EVs have become such a partisan thing that they're not defined as cars," said Mike Murphy, a Republican strategist who leads the EV Politics Project and EVs for All America, which aim to make electric cars less political. "It's like we're having political fights over toasters."

To industry experts, the seeds of this poisonous debate may have been planted inadvertently 25 years ago, with a humble, shoe-box-shaped sedan: the Toyota Prius. The groundbreaking 2001 Prius kicked off an era of petrol-electric hybrids and built Toyota's reputation as the global leader in green cars.

Mr Murphy said Toyota had used marketing that implied that buying a Prius was a way to save the planet. That excited liberals but drew a strong backlash from people less attuned to environmental issues. Nissan made a similar choice with the Leaf, its electric vehicle, in 2010, he said. In one Nissan TV ad, a polar bear hugged a Leaf owner.