Jerry Seinfeld Calls Electric Cars a ‘Stupid Virtue Signal’

Clear Facts

• Jerry Seinfeld dismissed electric vehicles as a “big, stupid virtue signal” in a recent interview with AirMail
• The comedian cited environmental concerns about lithium mining, calling EV environmental claims “all BS”
• Seinfeld, 72, is known for his extensive collection of rare Porsche vehicles and has no interest in switching to electric

Jerry Seinfeld isn’t buying into the electric vehicle movement. The legendary comedian, famous for his classic car collection, recently made clear that he sees driving an electric car as more of a political statement than a practical choice.

“I’m not interested in electric cars at all,” he told AirMail in an interview published Saturday.

“Anybody else wants to do it, that’s fine. I think it’s a big, stupid virtue signal. ‘Look at me. I’m saving the planet, yeah.’ What about the lithium? It’s all BS.”

Seinfeld’s criticism touches on a legitimate environmental concern that electric vehicle advocates often downplay. The manufacturing of lithium-ion batteries that power electric vehicles has a significant impact on the environment. While EV users argue this environmental cost is negated over time if the car is driven long enough, the comedian clearly isn’t convinced by that reasoning.

The stand-up comedian also weighed in on self-driving cars, joking that he always tells his kids about a future where their own children will be shocked by the freedom Americans once had.

“That their kids will say to them, ‘You mean, when you grew up, they would let people just drive at any speed and steer the car themselves? Didn’t they just crash and kill themselves constantly?’ Yeah.”

The 72-year-old is known for collecting rare Porsches, though he admits he’s not entirely sure how many he owns.

“I always say it’s an amount that if you looked at it, you would not say, ‘This makes sense.'”

Seinfeld’s first Porsche was a 1958 356 Speedster, which he purchased after receiving his paycheck for the first four episodes of “Seinfeld.” He used it as his daily driver for years, despite initially thinking it would be impractical for regular street use.

“I didn’t really know anything about older Porsches, but I just thought, Well, this car has nice lines,” he admitted.

“I also thought, I’m sure you could never drive a car like this on the street; it must be ridiculous. And I ended up using it as my daily driver in L.A. for years on end.”

Seinfeld also isn’t impressed with modern car design in general. Last December, he questioned why automotive companies struggle to understand what’s culturally appealing.

“Why is it so hard for these companies to understand what’s cool culturally?”

He suggested that “what’s missing is confidence,” contrasting today’s designs with the classic vehicles of previous decades.

“There’s nothing sadder when you when you see older BMWs from the early 2000s or the ’70s and ’80s and you see that confidence, and now they’re just screaming at you with that horrible absurd cartoonish ideas of design that just like, just no design at all but Paganis and things of that nature.”

He criticized modern designers for being “embarrassing” in their attempts at creating exotic and dramatic vehicles. “Is there anything cool anymore?” he asked.

Seinfeld’s position stands in stark contrast to the cultural and political pressure many Americans face to embrace electric vehicles. His willingness to speak plainly about the environmental contradictions of EVs and reject the virtue signaling he sees in the movement reflects a refreshing honesty in an era where many public figures feel compelled to follow the latest trends.

Let us know what you think, please share your thoughts in the comments below.