IS WIKIPEDIA DISSING THE EV?

Stop Wikipedia Editors! Electric Cars Deserve Their Story
January 18, 2011 (Miss Electric)

"Should hybrid and plug-in cars have their own page on Wikipedia? Or should they be merged into one page with their non-electric counterparts?

"Wikipedia editors are going head-to-head with each other on these questions. The battle is on…and so far the hybrid cars have lost. Plug-in versions, like the Plug-In Prius, may be next…[T]he story of electric car innovation [could be] lost…The real issue is that wikipedia editors do not have a solid idea of what qualities a technology must have to warrant its own page. There are some editors who believe that hybrid and plug-in cars deserve their own page because of…High sales figures…Media coverage…Increased fuel efficiency…[and] Reader popularity…"

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"…[O]pposing editors…say…High-performance versions of cars do not have their own page, so hybrid versions shouldn’t either…According to this thinking, the Ford Escape Hybrid (the first hybrid SUV on the market and the top-selling hybrid of any American automaker) belongs on the conventional Ford Escape page…[and] hybrid and plug-in cars should only have a separate page if it makes the page on the conventional version too long…[and] when readers see the different versions side-by-side that it makes it easier for readers to compare technologies.

"There is also another layer of complexity…[because] “motorhead” editors who consider merits of ecological improvements to be “fancruft” (information that is only of interest to other fans)… would rather highlight mpg data from hybrids and ignore data on reduced greenhouse gas emissions…[whereas] ecologically-minded editors consider emissions data to be valid points…"

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"…As a sociologist of technology and one who tracks automotive history and innovation, I argue that hybrid and plug-in cars deserve their own page…for two important reasons…1- …Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia….documenting the historical, economic, ecological, and social significance of technology in the automotive field…2-For the first time in 100 years, the automotive industry is adopting an innovative core technology that relies on an energy source other than petroleum. This [monumental but gradual] process…is told through the story of each new hybrid and plug-in car …These stories deserve to be documented on Wikipedia.

"…[T]he transition to electric drive technology is an important part of American history…in jeopardy of being buried on an important educational platform…Already the Ford Escape Hybrid and Honda Civic Hybrid have each lost their separate page. The Plug-In Prius, one of the most visible symbols of this movement, is currently under consideration for a merger…Let [the Wikipedia automotive editors] know that you want this important part of automotive history…"