MPs from the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Electric Vehicles have backed a new campaign to combat misinformation about electric vehicles.

The #StopBurningStuff initiative has now earned the support of MPs for its work to bust EV misinformation and myths

The #StopBurningStuff initiative launched last month from EV campaign group FairCharge and Robert Llewellyn’s Fully Charged Show. It aims to counter incorrect anti-EV rhetoric and is endorsed by scientists, climate ambassadors and senior industry.

The campaign has now earned the support of MPs including Matt Western, chair of the APPG on Electric Vehicles and also the Labour MP for Warwick and Leamington.

Western said: “Having served notice back in 2020 on new petrol and diesel cars and vans from 2030, we now hear the Government has changed its mind.

“This is disastrous for consumers who want to do the right thing but are now unsure of whether to buy. It is also disastrous for manufacturers that desperately need certainty before making major investment decisions to manufacture new vehicle plants and EV gigafactories. There are many in the sector that believe this will set the UK back considerably. Everyone wants certainty. And if we are to lead in these new technologies, then we need to lead with the market.”

Representatives from the REA (Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology) – which acts as the Secretariat for the APPG on EVs – along with FairCharge and the Fully Charged Show highlighted the true cost of misinformation and the impact on the electric vehicle sector at a meeting of the APPG this week.

The meeting follows the recent publication of the Government’s 30-point ‘plan for drivers’; a significant collection of policies on electric vehicles and charging infrastructure that includes a focus on “work with industry to myth-bust concerns about EVs”.

Matthew Adams, transport policy manager at REA, said: “The session gave opportunities for MPs across the political divide to understand the impact of their words on industry, through the results of our poll which highlighted significant market uncertainty stemming from the PM’s speech.

“Following the publication of the Plan for Drivers, which discusses the need to combat misinformation around EVs, we invited Quentin Willson (FairCharge) and Claire Cullen (Stop Burning Stuff/Fully Charged Show) to discuss their initiative to combat myths. MPs in the room were really engaged with the topic and found many of the points raised in both our survey, and by Quentin, eye opening. They took a lot away from it, and we are hopeful that this information will play a role in helping inform their voting decisions before the 2035 date is voted on later this year.”

Quentin Willson, founder of FairCharge, said: “The levels of poorly researched misinformation circulating about electric cars and batteries is unprecedented. Debunking the myths that have become embedded should be an urgent priority for the Government. FairCharge and Fully Charged have been fighting against these myths for many months now but the Government needs to join in the battle to save our motor industry, stimulate demand and move Britain towards an era of energy independence free from the tyranny of fossil fuel dependency.”

The #StopBurningStuff campaign will also continue its work to counter the raft of misinformation on EVs, in particular among the mass media. Plans include assembling a compendium of facts, figures and infographics for media and others to turn to when bombarded by anti-sustainability narratives.