The Wall Street Journal reports that despite the government and car companies both desperately pushing electric vehicles (EVs) on the American population, most Americans aren’t particularly interested in electric cars. The reasons, according to the Journal, range from the “trivial” environmental benefits of EVs to how expensive they are to purchase and maintain.

The Wall Street Journal recently published an opinion piece by Bjorn Lomborg titled “Policies Pushing Electric Vehicles Show Why Few People Want One.” In the piece, Lomborg explains why the more Americans learn about EVs, the less they are interested in buying one.

Lomborg points out that there are actually far fewer environmental benefits to EVs than consumers initially thought.

Electric cars’ impact on air pollution isn’t as straightforward as you might think. The vehicles themselves pollute only slightly less than a gasoline car because their massive batteries and consequent weight leads to more particulate pollution from greater wear on brakes, tires and roads.