Science Expert With Large Following Changes Mind On EVs - The Reason Is Surprising

Sabine Hossenfelder has about 1.3 million YouTube Subscribers. She is a theoretical physicist, and her content reveals she is an environmentalist. After completing her doctorate in theoretical physics at Goethe University Frankfurt, she did post-graduate work at multiple universities, including the University of California. This week, she revealed that she has changed her mind on EVs, and now sees hybrids as the solution for the foreseeable future. We will refer to her as Sabine, going forward, since this is how she refers to herself on her page and on her YouTube channel. We would be more comfortable calling her Dr. Hossenfelder, but we are following her lead. 

Why The Change?
Sabine sees the plusses of battery-electric vehicles. First and foremost she feels that their better acceleration alone should win them many converts. We could not agree more. The driving experience is one of the main reasons we review the vehicles with battery-electric powertrains so with such high praise. 

However, Sabine has looked at a lot of research and published data that shows the grid can’t presently handle BEVs in big numbers. Please, watch the video if you wish to question her judgment. In support of her global analysis, we can say that our local Northeast US electricity suppliers agree with Sabine. They see a need for billions in infrasturure improvements before widescale BEV adoption can be possible. Don't take our word for it, read theirs.

Summing up Sabine’s message in the video she published on April 26, 2024, “...it's becoming increasingly clear that the necessary upgrades to the electric grid aren't going anywhere near fast enough to get the transition done according to plan. This is why I believe now we'll likely see a shift to hybrids in the near future.” Those are her words, written under her video. 

What we found most fascinating about her video was that she details how many European sources of clean energy are not even connected to the grid. 

Reality vs. Preference
Sabine seems to be a realist. She is pro-EV, and she sees that at some future point, BEVs will take over the entire global vehicle market. However, she is also a realist. She has looked at the study data and can understand that the timelines and mandates that Europe and other major markets have set for themselves seem unlikely. Here in the U.S., President Biden’s administration, along with many major automakers, seem to have pumped the brakes on the forced conversion to battery-electrics this past year as well. 

Follow the Science
Sabine seems like a very well educated woman able to clearly articulate complex matters after she gives the topic a thorough investigation. Our takeaway from her latest video is that she has followed the science and sees the transition to battery-electric vehicles as the end game, but that end game’s date is farther off than many had hoped. Be your own judge of her video. We hope you will check it out. 

What is your opinion on electric vehicles in general? Please, click the red link below to write your comment and join the discussion.
 

John Goreham is an experienced New England Motor Press Association member and expert vehicle tester. John completed an engineering program with a focus on electric vehicles, followed by two decades of work in high-tech, biopharma, and the automotive supply chain before becoming a news contributor. In addition to his eleven years of work at Torque News, John has published thousands of articles and reviews at American news outlets. He is known for offering unfiltered opinions on vehicle topics. You can connect with John on Linkedin and follow his work at our X channel. Please note that stories carrying John's by-line are never AI-generated, but he does employ Grammarly grammar and punctuation software when proofreading. 

Image of Toyota electrified vehicles by John Goreham