Now fans are lashing out at Clarkson and May for their one-sided assessment of the vehicles, when in actual fact they weren't one-sided at all. Clarkson actually quite liked the LEAF, he said so himself when he was driving it. He liked the design, he liked the feel of the car on the road, he was actually quite pleasant and un-Clarkson about the whole thing - if anything, everyone should be uppity and peeved at him for that, not his gently scathing remarks on the cost of battery replacement in the LEAF.
What Clarkson truly didn't like was the charging time (something they plainly illustrated) and infrastructure issue which is something that's not just an issue with TG hosts, but anyone who owns, or hopes to own, an electric car. Take the i-MiEV we had a few weeks ago: Sure, it was a fantastic little thing that could plug into the wall to charge, but how many buildings are going to be OK with you parking your car in the lobby for the day to charge? I'd say, not many. And how about winter driving in battery-powered vehicles? That's always a looming question.
I'm a bit shocked that the piece got such negative responses. I've seen the boys say much worse and nothing has been said. Is it that they were stepping on already sensitive toes? Me thinks the answer is yes.
Here's the deal: Clarkson and May were spot-on 100% correct when they said the future of the vehicle is not electric, or at least the foreseeable, near future is not.
Sure, electric is amazing and it makes sense (as far as we know), but there's a reason we aren't all zipping around in lithium-ion-powered vehicles right now: It doesn't work. Not for our collective lifestyles. We do not have the infrastructure and the costs associated with that are so high that most towns and cities can't even fathom the idea of implementing them. Sure, you could only charge your car at home, but then you're limiting yourself with ranges and whatnot. It's just not practical.
I want to save the planet as much as the next guy, but we have to be smart about it. Clarkson and May were singing a song that's already been sung over and over again, they just said it to a much wider audience and said it loud and proud (as they're apt to do). I have no doubt the boys will address this electrifying issue in their next season, which will undoubtedly air regardless of the spark-fuelled outrage currently sweeping the internet towards the program and its hosts.