Is it true that the photo shows the "cemetery of electric cars" in France?

In social networks, photographs with rows of electric vehicles are common, in which batteries allegedly were discharged and now cars are “buried alive in one of the green fields” in France. We checked the reliability of these images.

In May 2021, photographs depicting the French "cemetery of electric vehicles" appeared in several publics in VKontakte, such as "The voice of Mordor" And “Today | News". The picture was distributed in Twitter. The authors of such messages claimed that the vehicles had ended the charge of batteries, replacing them with new ones is too expensive, and it is impossible to dispose of them. Users come to the conclusion that supposedly “green” electric cars are actually harmful to nature. Two months later in social networks Published Another image on which the machines are located more chaotic, but the meaning of signatures and comments remained the same.

The French media reported a couple of months before the “cemetery of cars” near Paris before Russian media and social networks drew attention to them. So, April 2 on the Auroplus portal I went out Note "Autolib in the open air was discovered." Three days later on the Francetvinfo website was published The material “What will happen to the pile of Autolib machines that have accumulated in the“ cemetery ”in Romoranden?” In these articles you can find the same photos that are distributed by users of social networks, as well as images of this place made from other angles. Appear on the Internet Started Back in March 2021.

Nevertheless, signatures to photographs on the Internet often mislead readers. Autolib, mentioned in the French press, is a company that provided car sharing electric cars. The service began working in Paris in 2011 and became very popular - according to The Guardian, in mid -2015 it Used more than 150,000 people. It is the growth of popularity brought To the problems: 4000 cars in the park were not enough for everyone, the culture of using car sharing machines has not yet been developed enough, and competing services along with Uber and other taxis orders won the market. In 2018, the work of Autolib was Crossed Due to the accumulated debts.

After the service is closed, most electric vehicles Sold Or dismantled the spare parts. However, some of the cars remained on the site near Romoaranten - it was they depicted In the photographs with the "Cemetery of the Electricians". We emphasize that these vehicles were not there because of the discharged batteries, but due to the closure of the car sharing service.

The electric cars belonging to Autolib were transferred to two companies: Autobuzz and Atis Production - which are engaged in their further implementation. Representative of Autobuzz in May 2019 ReportedWhat they repair and sell a monthly at a discount of about 50 electric cars. The so -called "cemetery" belongs to Atis Production. Her representative He assuredthat the batteries from the cars were removed, and the electric cars themselves will not be sent to the landfill, but they are implemented differently. Moreover, representatives of the French authorities examined the parking Confirmed This information has not found a significant threat to the ecology.

Another photograph, which allegedly depicts the "Cemetery of the Electricians", was, contrary to the comments of Internet users, was made thousands of kilometers from France. This photo June 19, 2021 Published In his Instagram, a Polish photographer under the nickname @gregabandoned. He told USA Today, which took the picture on May 3 in China, but refused to name the place to shoot. AFP factor found outthat the photographs were taken in the vicinity of the city of Hangzhou. According to them, the "Cemetery of electric vehicles" has existed there since 2019, and the cars belong to Microcity. And in this case, the cause of such an accumulation of machines were not discharged batteries. Microcity manager reported that most of these electric cars are simply outdated and were replaced by more modern ones. However, he did not specify whether the batteries were removed from these machines.

Most of the untruth

What do our verdicts mean?

Read on the topic:

1. Snopes. Werese Electric Cars Abandoned Because Their Batteries Failed?
2. Les Observateurs. Quand le fiasco des autolib ’Devent une intox pour des américains anti-vitures électriques
3. USA Today. Fact Check: Viral Image of An Electric Car 'Cemetery' Shows Vehicles from a Ride-Share Company in China
4. AFP Fact Check. This Photo does Not Show An 'Electric Car Cemetry' In France
5. Reuters. Fact Check - Electric Cars Taken Off French Roads Due to Contract Termination, Not Battle Fault