‘Mr Bean’ actor Rowan Atkinson blamed for ‘hurting’ reputation of electric cars by UK think tank

In a session at the UK Parliament, a think tank singled out actor Rowan Atkinson, famous for his portrayal of ‘Mr Bean’, for “damaging” the image of electric vehicles.

In the UK’s House of Lords, the Green Alliance think tank on Tuesday referred to an article written by Atkinson in The Guardian in June 2023, saying it was particularly damaging to the adoption of electric vehicles, according to a report by Sky News.

In the article, Atkinson had shared his disappointment with electric cars, calling them “soulless” and saying that he had felt “duped” by EVs. He questioned the use of lithium-ion batteries and suggested other options like keeping traditional cars longer and using synthetic fuels instead of switching to electric cars, Sky News reported.

The piece written by Rowan Atkinson was titled, “I love electric vehicles – and was an early adopter. But increasingly I feel duped”.

Citing his electrical and electronic engineering in The Guardian article, Atkinson advised his friends to hold off on buying electric cars, especially if they currently own older diesel models.

The think tank Green Alliance, which was listing the challenges related to the adoption of EVs in the UK to politicians in a meeting earlier this week, said, “One of the most damaging articles was a comment piece written by Rowan Atkinson in The Guardian which has been roundly debunked.”

“Unfortunately, fact checks never reach the same breadth of audience as the original false claim, emphasising the need to ensure high editorial standards around the net-zero transition,” the think tank stated, as per Sky News.

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