Electrek ran a sidebar survey asking readers whether record fuel prices, following the start of the war in Iran, had a silver lining. With nearly 2,000 responses, the results were clear: more than 60% pointed to increased mainstream interest in hybrid and electric vehicle adoption as the main positive. An additional 12% selected "fewer lifted 4x4s," which the article's author argues is essentially the same sentiment.
Commenters elaborated on that view, with one reader noting that large pickup trucks getting under 20 mpg now seem less sensible, and another criticizing the poor understanding of drag and rolling resistance among truck owners. However, not all responses were sympathetic. One EV driver wrote that they don't care how much pain higher gas prices cause, saying they will never buy gas again and that others have the same information but make "selfish, narrow-minded decisions."
The author, Jo Borrás, acknowledged the appeal of that schadenfreude, while also noting that many commenters pointed out how higher fuel costs make things harder for everyone, including through interconnected effects on grocery prices. The survey itself offered no single official conclusion, but the dominant takeaway is that expensive gas is seen as a push toward electrification, even if some readers are more gleeful about it than others.