Is the "electric viking" a shill?

[Mr Gus]

In a recent video he was decrying the SA guy who lived in china for some 14 years & admittedly exposes lots of the bad, but extolls the virtues of the good there too...

Now for context: the Electric viking (who I'm going to scrutinise more closely after this) says the the S.A. guy is a liar "because the field of *supposedly* BEV cars have places to put the petrol"

Think about it, for how long, especially the transitioning ICE manufacturers simply add the charge point beneath the fuel flap to save money, increase the "normality" feel of the transition, more importantly save a tonne on re-tooling?

The response was in reply to "the china show" host who also goes by "serpentZA"

As there are so many EV channels nowadays, I have seen him but don't know him(s) output, what is your perception? ..after all heritage ICE brands VW, Mini for instance were using old chassis's & electrifying them before making dedicated ground up platforms, ....how can a fella claiming to know so much not see / know that AND kick up such a stink about it?

Right / Wrong? ..some of you will doubtless have watched a bunch of his stuff.

[dan_b]

I watched a few of his videos and to be honest I couldn’t make him out - and as nothing he was saying seemed particularly new or different I soon stopped. As with many YouTube channels he may have started out with good intentions but in the fight for views they often get more and more shouty/antagonistic/shilly

[Mr Gus]

Rather than taint from the outset I will not link the offending piece / response for now, I'd like more detail as per Dan for a better perspective.

Cheers Dan.

[Stan]

Do you really think he is faking the painting of the environment and planting of stone flowers on rebar?

[Mr Gus]

Well, green paint to sell lush lawns to sell a house has been a thing in america for a good few decades stan, & if you are a chinese official giving a tour of your area, anything is possible when you have cheap labour & command the use of funds.

The "tofu dregs" videos (not just his) are all over the internet, sewer oil saving a cent by shaving quality is rife, & that's where getting creative helps corrupt officials get rich-er in many countries.

Rebar, either the type that snaps in your hand or is absent altogether is pretty commonplace it seems, ..plenty of deceitful practise going on, with little formal regulation & bribes built in.

Angry can be seen as not caring, after some 14 years out there he would have seen a lot & been incredibly frustrated by it all, thus highlighting, condemning & slating, ..what sort of animals don't care enough to connect the dry risers in high rises for instance which are then checked & ticked off as working by someone else along the chain when the block is full? ..pretty corrupt souls!

[Mart]

My impression, having watched his channel for a year and a half, is that he's a genuine guy. Or an incredible actor.

He and his wife have cycled round most of the World in the past, and he seems very serious about green issues.

He does have a crowd funding campaign for cancer treatment for his wife, after Australia said that no further treatment could help. He was selling his house, but subscribers suggested the go fund me idea. They moved to Thailand for several months, and have just moved home again after treatment, which has helped, but not significantly. If he was playing the long game, then he's very clever as he was posting for a year before this happened. So what the hell, I sent them A$50.

Is the channel any good? Well, there are better ones, such as Electrified and Tesla Daily, which are far more detailed. But for those just looking for some EV/RE news each day, then Sam does some simple vids, not the most professional (editing has definitely slipped the last few months, but understandable). I'd recommend his channel for those approaching EV's and RE from a lighter detail aspect.

Hope this doesn't sound too defensive, you pays your money and takes your chance, but my gut is that he's very genuine, and just wants to share. Also, because he posts a lot, maybe 3 or 4 vids per day, I can go to his channel and read the post titles to see if there's any breaking news. He's also a fan of Cleantechnica (my go to for green and ethical news), and often chats about news they've posted. And he was part of Fully Charged live Australia, as one of the hosts/speakers.

Hope this helps form an opinion, but don't blame me if he turns out to be a Nigerian Prince.

[Mr Gus]

No worries mart, I asked for input, & have got it.

I'll list the videos shortly & anyone who cares to disseminate them & read the changing comments can immerse themselves, I take all you-tube with a pinch of salt, it's another form of media after all looking to attract "type"

..GB News channel? & why Andrew Neil quit after such a short & turbulent time, prime example of it, unfortunately algorithms on YT are an echo chamber that is hard to be free of.. (despite pressing " do not show me this channel" frequently)

It's also a devil when YT forces you elsewhere for updates on ukraine (eg Denys having to promote full news stories elsewhere such as telegram (no thanks) meaning I get a less honest, more sanitised version of what everyone needs to know "the horrors of war" meaning I have to utilise some unsavoury sites to see the detail of "progress" via advance / retreat.

[Mr Gus]

..viking video on serpentZA 's (the comments are info revealing if you persist)

SerpentZA reply within his / their video.. set at the piece.



Questionable when someone spouting about EV's all round the world has never seen anything as recent as a golf gte early electric or investigated the Japanese / French early BEV the Mitsubishi I-miev as per ep1 of Fully charged? & put 2+2 together before peddling out another EV video (seems the viking spouts more than he knows) ..as for "spy"!? but with such falsehoods you have to question his knowledge to say the least. surely?