So about those Super Bowl ads
And what does it really mean to go green?
Last weekend, over 100 million people watched the Super Bowl, which meant they also watched an onslaught of commercials. And besides all that cryptocurrency, one product really stood out this year: electric vehicles.
In total, Sunday’s game saw seven commercials about EVs or fuel efficiency — a notable number compared to last year, which only saw one such ad, according to a TIME analysis. And the electric influx has got people talking.
“Love the Sopranos add! (sic) Love to see the mob going green!” wrote comedian Wanda Sykes on Twitter, referring to a Chevrolet electric truck ad that mimicked the opening of the HBO series.
But the ad — which features Sopranos actress Jamie Lynn-Sigler driving an all-electric Silverado truck through an urban landscape — underscores the very shaky ways we categorize “green.”
Using a 6,000-pound towing vehicle to transport yourself through a city, especially when public transit alternatives are available, is not green.
Other EV ads also pushed the “green” limit. BMW’s electric vehicle ad featured Arnold Schwarzenegger and Salma Hayek in a sprawling single-family home (notoriously carbon-heavy) in Palm Springs.
Eventually, they take an electric beamer out on the cool (and empty?) streets of Los Angeles. Iconic? Sure. Sustainable? Unlikely. Green? Definitely not.
The message of these commercials is clear: America’s car — now increasingly EV — culture prioritizes convenience and luxury over sustainability. Why take a bus or a train when you can buy a $40,000 car and leave when you want? And hey, if it’s electric, you’re doing the Planet a favor!
It’s the same flawed logic that encourages recycling without questioning why we have so much plastic in the first place.
The problem is partially the growth model of capitalism, which incentives companies to sell more and more products. The strategy works for car companies — after Kia aired its ad for the new EV6, Cars.com saw a 921% surge in searches on its site — but it’s a raw deal for everyone else (for example, those who can’t afford cars).
Unfortunately, getting rid of cars altogether, or even getting close to a European level of car ownership, isn’t really realistic in the U.S. Car culture is already baked into the American landscape, with the new infrastructure law further baking it in, expanding highways and providing $7.5 billion for charging infrastructure
But that doesn't mean we can’t build a more equitable society by expanding electric public transit and creating more walkable and bikeable areas in the process.
As hubs of innovation, cities have a crucial role to play here. American cities could borrow from European cities like Paris, which is banning cars from its historic district, or London, which is considering charging drivers every time they drive.
The bottom line: We can’t get hung up on shiny new things just because they’re electric. Investing in public transit is rarely as sexy as an electric beamer, but it’s sure as hell a lot greener.