WE MUST TIGHTEN THE REGULATORY FRAMEWORK ON ADS FOR GAS-POWERED CARS AND LIGHT-DUTY TRUCKS

We need to reverse the trend!

As the climate crisis looms as one of the greatest challenges facing humanity, we are being bombarded with ads encouraging us to buy gas-powered vehicles (gas or diesel), particularly SUVs and other light-duty trucks.

We must demand a new regulatory framework for advertising gas-powered vehicles!

Advertising has a powerful impact on consumer choices
The link between advertising and purchasing behavior is strong. A 2021 Équiterre study shows that nearly half of new vehicle buyers admit that their decision was influenced by some type of media.  While the study was based on Canadian consumers, it stands to reason that American consumers are similarly influenced, if not more so by advertising.

Vehicle advertising, including ads for light-duty trucks, is highly prevalent around the world, particularly in the United States of America.  In 2020 alone, $11 billion in advertising was spent by the top 10 vehicle advertisers collectively.  4.7% of all digital advertising revenue was from the automobile sector.  Nearly all of it is associated with vehicles that many states will effectively ban within 10 years.

Yet the US has no regulations to govern advertising on gas-powered (ICE) cars, or trucks despite their environmental impact.

There are no requirements for ads to display a vehicle’s fuel consumption or GHG emissions, no standards for protecting nature and the environment, and nothing against advertising them in nature settings.

Despite a significant growth in sales of electric vehicles (EVs) in 2020, 97% of vehicles sold were gas-powered.  Constantly bombarding the public with images of gas-powered vehicles normalizes them, and slows down the adoption of electric vehicles.  In the world of advertising, gas-powered vehicles have little competition - Tesla which accounts for over two thirds of the electric vehicles sold in 2020 - famously doesn't advertise them using conventional or other digital media.

We demand of the Federal Trade Commission:

1. That the FTC commits to banning advertising for all internal combustion vehicles by 2025
2. That the FTC immediately tighten the regulatory framework for automobile advertising, with a focus on the heaviest and most energy-consuming vehicles

Skeptical about EVs being a good replacement for gas-powered vehicles?

You're not alone, but your fears are probably unfounded.  EVs have come a long way in the last few years but there's still a lot of misinformation swirling around from EV detractors.  Compare.com has a reasonably good breakdown of the pros and cons of EVs.  Keep in mind that this petition is solely about advertising, not availability.  Also, no matter what you hear, an EV will produce far less greenhouse gases over its lifetime than an equivalent-sized ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) vehicle, even if that EV is powered by electricity from coal-fired power plants.

Lastly, a couple of key benefits that are often overlooked.  Home-charging (if you have a garage or driveway parking) is much more convenient and cleaner than filling up at a gas station.  And local pollution (both exhaust and other emissions like oil leaks and fuel spills) are completely eliminated with an EV.

Note for Canadian Residents.  A similar petition (which this petition heavily borrows from) is available to sign at Reverse the trend