1.3.1
Electric Cars in Malta
Module: M1 | Type: Experiential Scenario - Electric Cars Malta
This publicactuin has been funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union under the project POWER - Prevention Of Weaponization and Enhancing Resilience against Security-related Disinformation on Clean Energy (Reference: 2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038). Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
POWER Project [2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038]
Introduction
Welcome to the Electric Cars Immersive Scenario. In this activity, you will take on the role of a disinformation investigator working for a governmental organisation that is monitoring misleading information about electric cars and clean energy.
Your mission is to review and complete the case file of Dr. Nikola, gathering evidence and analysing information to help uncover how disinformation is being used and what facts can be verified. Use your critical thinking skills to assess the available documentation and complete the investigation.
POWER Project [2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038]
OER Learning Objectives
By the end of this lecture, you will be able to:
Identify and classify common disinformation narratives related to electric vehicles and clean energy transitions
Analyse the techniques and persuasion strategies used in energy-related disinformation
Evaluate claims about electric vehicles using evidence from official sources, scientific research, and verified data to distinguish factual information from misleading or false content.
Develop effective evidence-based responses and counter-narratives that promote informed public discussion and strengthen resilience against clean-energy disinformation.
POWER Project [2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038]
Learning Journey: Building Resilience Against
Electric Vehicle Disinformation
Learning Journey: Building Resilience Against
Electric Vehicle Disinformation
Learning Journey: Building Resilience Against
Electric Vehicle Disinformation
Learning Journey: Building Resilience Against
Electric Vehicle Disinformation
Learning Journey: Building Resilience Against
Electric Vehicle Disinformation
Identify common disinformation narratives about electric vehicles, including safety, environmental impact, and performance claims.
Identify common disinformation narratives about electric vehicles, including safety, environmental impact, and performance claims.
Identify common disinformation narratives about electric vehicles, including safety, environmental impact, and performance claims.
Identify common disinformation narratives about electric vehicles, including safety, environmental impact, and performance claims.
POWER Project [2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038]
Disinformation narratives
Electric vehicles are dangerous as they can catch fire, explode, and cannot be carried on ferries.
Electric vehicles are not environmentally friendly as they just move the pollution elsewhere, and the mining of lithium and cobalt causes more damage than they save.
Electric vehicles have insufficient range, and they will leave you stranded and cannot be used for everyday life.
POWER Project [2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038]
Disinformation Narratives on electric cars in malta
The implementation of a national policy supporting the transition towards electric cars in Malta has lead to the appearance of a number of dis- and misinformation narratives in Maltese online spaces.
Batter dangerClaims that EV batteries are uniquely hazardous (e.g. they can burn down easily)
Toxic waste narrativePromotes the idea that electric cars (namely their batteries) are impossible to manage at the end of life, and will turn Malta into a toxic-waste island.
False environmental equivalence Claims that electric cars are always worse than petrol or diesel cars because Malta imports electricity and batteries have environmental costs, ignoring the policy aim of reducing transport emissions alongside renewable-energy expansion
Electric cars cannot be used in daily life due to their limited range Promotes the idea that electric cars have a very limited range, will need to be charged for longer than they can be used, and therefore are not useful
POWER Project [2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038]
Modus operandi
The modus operandi refers to the recurring techniques used to build and spread the disinformation.
POWER Project [2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038]
Your mission
This paragraph is ready to be filled with incredible creativity, experiences, and stories.
POWER Project [2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038]
Introduction
Welcome to the UM Campus for the Electric Cars Immersive Scenario, where you will have the chance of becoming disinformation investigators for a day. Imagine you work as an analyst in a governmental organisation that is encountering instances of disinformation about electric cars and clean energy in general. Your mission: Identify, analyse and respond to the disinformation campaign. You will work in teams and explore real locations with your smartphones. By the end, your team will have understood the roots of the disinformation campaign and proposed solutions to counter it. You have 90 minutes!
POWER Project [2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038]
POWER Project [2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038]
Welcome to the UM Campus for the Electric Cars Immersive Scenario, where you will have the chance of becoming disinformation investigators for a day. Imagine you work as an analyst in a governmental organisation that is encountering instances of disinformation about electric cars and clean energy in general. Your mission: Identify, analyse and respond to the disinformation campaign. You will work in teams and explore real locations with your smartphones. By the end, your team will have understood the roots of the disinformation campaign and proposed solutions to counter it. You have 90 minutes!
The Government is recruiting all kinds of people for this operation. Before entering the laboratory you'll take on a role, and that role —known only to you— will shape how you present yourself and how you interact with the rest of the team.
Take on a secret role. You'll randomly draw one of the five profiles. Don't reveal it: play it.
Create your avatar. Design it to match your role and enter the laboratory in FrameVR.
Investigate. Search the panels for information on the three narratives, talk to the robots and to the rest of the team. As you search for the truth, you'll inform, disinform or fact-check… depending on your role.
POWER Project [2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038]
POWER Project [2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038]
Introduction
The Government is recruiting all kinds of people for this operation. Before entering the laboratory you'll take on a role, and that role —known only to you— will shape how you present yourself and how you interact with the rest of the team.
Take on a secret role. You'll randomly draw one of the five profiles. Don't reveal it: play it.
Create your avatar. Design it to match your role and enter the laboratory in FrameVR.
Investigate. Search the panels for information on the three narratives, talk to the robots and to the rest of the team. As you search for the truth, you'll inform, disinform or fact-check… depending on your role.
https://yourls.ciberimaginario.es/powervr
POWER Project [2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038]
POWER Project [2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038]
Your mission
This paragraph is ready to be filled with incredible creativity, experiences, and stories.
POWER Project [2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038]
02
Mission 1 Quiz
POWER Project [2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038]
02
Mission 1 Quiz
POWER Project [2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038]
02
Mission 1 Quiz
POWER Project [2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038]
02
Mission 1 Quiz
POWER Project [2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038]
02
Mission 1 Quiz
POWER Project [2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038]
02
Mission 1 Quiz
POWER Project [2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038]
02
Mission 1 Quiz
POWER Project [2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038]
Instructions
02
Mission 1 Quiz
POWER Project [2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038]
Instructions
02
Mission 1 Quiz
POWER Project [2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038]
Instructions
02
Mission 1 Quiz
POWER Project [2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038]
Instructions
02
Mission 1 Quiz
POWER Project [2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038]
02
POWER Project [2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038]
02
POWER Project [2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038]
02
POWER Project [2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038]
Well
Done
POWERInformation that drives the energy of tomorrow
power.ciberimaginario.es
This publicactuin has been funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union under the project POWER - Prevention Of Weaponization and Enhancing Resilience against Security-related Disinformation on Clean Energy (Reference: 2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038). Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
POWER Project [2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038]
Cluster 2: Electric vehicles are not environmentally friendly, as they just move the pollution elsewhere, and the mining of lithium and cobalt causes more damage than they save This is one of the most persistent and sophisticated EV disinformation narratives because it contains an element of truth: manufacturing an EV battery requires energy-intensive extraction of lithium, nickel, manganese, and cobalt, and the production carbon footprint is higher than for an equivalent petrol car.
Social media posts linked to disinformation campaigns often claim that EVs are no greener than the cars they replace, that child labour in the Democratic Republic of Congo mines the cobalt that powers them, and that the electricity used to charge them is simply "dirty coal in disguise."
Cluster 3: Electric vehicles have insufficient range, and they will leave you stranded and cannot be used for everyday life Range anxiety was a legitimate concern in the early years of EV adoption, when many vehicles offered real-world ranges below 150 kilometres, which is why such claims are still pervasive today as part of disinformation frameworks. Posts commonly allege that EVs are unusable for journeys beyond a city, that cold winters render them completely unreliable, that charging takes hours and chargers are never available, and that the range stated by manufacturers is fictitious.
This Open Educational Resource (OER) is an experiential scenario developed as part of the POWER Project educational platform. Inspired by the narrative format of TV series like "Élite", this activity puts you in the role of a scriptwriter. Working in teams, you will explore real locations, capture them using ArcGIS QuickCapture, and create fictional scenes that address real disinformation narratives about clean energy — weaving factual data into dramatic storytelling. Your scenes will be assembled into a geolocated StoryMap that combines fiction, science, and counter-narrative strategy. This scenario is designed to develop your ability to communicate complex scientific content through engaging, audience-centred narratives — a core skill for combating disinformation.
Main learning questions addressed:
- How can storytelling be used to communicate scientific content about clean energy in an engaging way?
- How can factual data about energy be integrated naturally into fictional narratives?
- What makes a counter-narrative effective when addressing disinformation about clean energy?
- How can geolocated, place-based storytelling create stronger connections between audiences and energy issues?
Cluster 1: Electric vehicles are dangerous as they can catch fire, explode, and cannot be carried on ferries. Battery fires in electric vehicles have been the single most viral category of EV-related content across Facebook, X, and TikTok in recent years. The narrative draws on real events, including the cargo ship Fremantle Highway (2023), which caught fire while carrying approximately 500 EVs, to argue that EVs are inherently and uniquely dangerous.
In Malta, this narrative focuses on a local dimension: the use of the Gozo Channel ferry crossing by EVs Social media posts have raised fears that a single electric car catching fire on the Gozo ferry could cause a catastrophic incident in an enclosed vehicle deck with no escape route, echoing posts that circulated in several European countries when Norwegian ferry operator Havila Kystruten temporarily banned EVs from some routes in 2023.
Engineers explained that such an operation must take place during a period of minimal water flow, typically between December and January, when natural water inflows are very low.
As of recent data, Romania has an installed hydropower capacity of about 6,000 MW. Hydropower accounts for around 30% of Romania’s electricity generation.
Elements:
- Title: concept number + topic (e.g. "03 WHICH TECHNOLOGIES ARE MOST VULNERABLE?")
- Content area with discussion prompts or reflection questions (3–4 bullet points)
- Optional: interactive element (Genially drag-and-drop, matching activity, or embedded form)
- For face-to-face use: include facilitator note explaining how to run the group discussion
- Background: topic-related image
- Bottom: EU co-funding logo + POWER project reference
What to customise: Title, discussion prompts, optional interactive element, facilitator note. Guidelines for content: This screen bridges content and critical thinking. In face-to-face mode it prompts group debate; in online mode it should include at least one interactive element so the learner is not just reading passively.
The Ministry of Energy made the first official announcement regarding the rehabilitation project of Vidraru reservoir on the 9th of July 2024. The City Hall of Curtea de Argeș (the closest city to the dam) also informed the public in July 2025 that, starting August 1, 2025, the company Hidroelectrica would begin the process of emptying the Vidraru reservoir in order to carry out refurbishment works.
Engineers explained that such an operation must take place during a period of minimal water flow, typically between December and January, when natural water inflows are very low.
Elements:
- Title: concept number + topic (e.g. "03 WHICH TECHNOLOGIES ARE MOST VULNERABLE?")
- Content area with discussion prompts or reflection questions (3–4 bullet points)
- Optional: interactive element (Genially drag-and-drop, matching activity, or embedded form)
- For face-to-face use: include facilitator note explaining how to run the group discussion
- Background: topic-related image
- Bottom: EU co-funding logo + POWER project reference
What to customise: Title, discussion prompts, optional interactive element, facilitator note. Guidelines for content: This screen bridges content and critical thinking. In face-to-face mode it prompts group debate; in online mode it should include at least one interactive element so the learner is not just reading passively.
55.7% of the disinformation on Vidraru was present on X, lower percentages on Facebook, TikTok, Telegram, Youtube.
Elements:
- Title: concept number + topic (e.g. "03 WHICH TECHNOLOGIES ARE MOST VULNERABLE?")
- Content area with discussion prompts or reflection questions (3–4 bullet points)
- Optional: interactive element (Genially drag-and-drop, matching activity, or embedded form)
- For face-to-face use: include facilitator note explaining how to run the group discussion
- Background: topic-related image
- Bottom: EU co-funding logo + POWER project reference
What to customise: Title, discussion prompts, optional interactive element, facilitator note. Guidelines for content: This screen bridges content and critical thinking. In face-to-face mode it prompts group debate; in online mode it should include at least one interactive element so the learner is not just reading passively.
The draining was not an accidental collapse — it was a technical requirement to assess and replace hydromechanical equipment, bottom outlets, valves etc., after decades of operation.
As of recent data, Romania has an installed hydropower capacity of about 6,000 MW. Hydropower accounts for around 30% of Romania’s electricity generation.
On the 19th of August 2025, after the disinformation appeared in social media, the Ministry of Energy made another press release explaining the real situation about the rehabilitation plans and the necessity of the repairs. In December 2025, the Ministry of Environment made a press release about the disinformation regarding Paltinu dam.
The draining was not an accidental collapse — it was a technical requirement to assess and replace hydromechanical equipment, bottom outlets, valves etc., after decades of operation.
The Ministry of Energy made the first official announcement regarding the rehabilitation project of Vidraru reservoir on the 9th of July 2024. The City Hall of Curtea de Argeș (the closest city to the dam) also informed the public in July 2025 that, starting August 1, 2025, the company Hidroelectrica would begin the process of emptying the Vidraru reservoir in order to carry out refurbishment works.
Elements:
- Title: concept number + topic (e.g. "03 WHICH TECHNOLOGIES ARE MOST VULNERABLE?")
- Content area with discussion prompts or reflection questions (3–4 bullet points)
- Optional: interactive element (Genially drag-and-drop, matching activity, or embedded form)
- For face-to-face use: include facilitator note explaining how to run the group discussion
- Background: topic-related image
- Bottom: EU co-funding logo + POWER project reference
What to customise: Title, discussion prompts, optional interactive element, facilitator note. Guidelines for content: This screen bridges content and critical thinking. In face-to-face mode it prompts group debate; in online mode it should include at least one interactive element so the learner is not just reading passively.
In autumn-winter 2025, over 100,000 people from Prahova and Dâmbovița counties were left without potable water for several days due to extremely high turbidity in the water from the accumulation lake, making it impossible to treat and supply water. The high turbidity was further increased by heavy rainfalls in one day.Turbidity refers to how clean or clear the water is, based on how many small particles are floating in it.
Engineers explained that such an operation must take place during a period of minimal water flow, typically between December and January, when natural water inflows are very low.
In autumn-winter 2025, over 100,000 people from Prahova and Dâmbovița counties were left without potable water for several days due to extremely high turbidity in the water from the accumulation lake, making it impossible to treat and supply water. The high turbidity was further increased by heavy rainfalls in one day.Turbidity refers to how clean or clear the water is, based on how many small particles are floating in it.
On the 19th of August 2025, after the disinformation appeared in social media, the Ministry of Energy made another press release explaining the real situation about the rehabilitation plans and the necessity of the repairs. In December 2025, the Ministry of Environment made a press release about the disinformation regarding Paltinu dam.
55.7% of the disinformation on Vidraru was present on X, lower percentages on Facebook, TikTok, Telegram, Youtube.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit
131 Online -POWER-Interactive-Scenario
URJC
Created on June 12, 2026
Start designing with a free template
Discover more than 1500 professional designs like these:
View
Magazine dossier
View
Momentum: Onboarding Escape Game
View
Momentum: Manager Guide
View
Wizardry Letter
View
Search Bar Card
View
Piñata
View
Microlearning: When to Use Chat, Meetings or Email
Explore all templates
Transcript
1.3.1
Electric Cars in Malta
Module: M1 | Type: Experiential Scenario - Electric Cars Malta
This publicactuin has been funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union under the project POWER - Prevention Of Weaponization and Enhancing Resilience against Security-related Disinformation on Clean Energy (Reference: 2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038). Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
POWER Project [2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038]
Introduction
Welcome to the Electric Cars Immersive Scenario. In this activity, you will take on the role of a disinformation investigator working for a governmental organisation that is monitoring misleading information about electric cars and clean energy. Your mission is to review and complete the case file of Dr. Nikola, gathering evidence and analysing information to help uncover how disinformation is being used and what facts can be verified. Use your critical thinking skills to assess the available documentation and complete the investigation.
POWER Project [2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038]
OER Learning Objectives
By the end of this lecture, you will be able to:
Identify and classify common disinformation narratives related to electric vehicles and clean energy transitions
Analyse the techniques and persuasion strategies used in energy-related disinformation
Evaluate claims about electric vehicles using evidence from official sources, scientific research, and verified data to distinguish factual information from misleading or false content.
Develop effective evidence-based responses and counter-narratives that promote informed public discussion and strengthen resilience against clean-energy disinformation.
POWER Project [2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038]
Learning Journey: Building Resilience Against Electric Vehicle Disinformation
Learning Journey: Building Resilience Against Electric Vehicle Disinformation
Learning Journey: Building Resilience Against Electric Vehicle Disinformation
Learning Journey: Building Resilience Against Electric Vehicle Disinformation
Learning Journey: Building Resilience Against Electric Vehicle Disinformation
Identify common disinformation narratives about electric vehicles, including safety, environmental impact, and performance claims.
Identify common disinformation narratives about electric vehicles, including safety, environmental impact, and performance claims.
Identify common disinformation narratives about electric vehicles, including safety, environmental impact, and performance claims.
Identify common disinformation narratives about electric vehicles, including safety, environmental impact, and performance claims.
POWER Project [2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038]
Disinformation narratives
Electric vehicles are dangerous as they can catch fire, explode, and cannot be carried on ferries.
Electric vehicles are not environmentally friendly as they just move the pollution elsewhere, and the mining of lithium and cobalt causes more damage than they save.
Electric vehicles have insufficient range, and they will leave you stranded and cannot be used for everyday life.
POWER Project [2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038]
Disinformation Narratives on electric cars in malta
The implementation of a national policy supporting the transition towards electric cars in Malta has lead to the appearance of a number of dis- and misinformation narratives in Maltese online spaces.
Batter dangerClaims that EV batteries are uniquely hazardous (e.g. they can burn down easily)
Toxic waste narrativePromotes the idea that electric cars (namely their batteries) are impossible to manage at the end of life, and will turn Malta into a toxic-waste island.
False environmental equivalence Claims that electric cars are always worse than petrol or diesel cars because Malta imports electricity and batteries have environmental costs, ignoring the policy aim of reducing transport emissions alongside renewable-energy expansion
Electric cars cannot be used in daily life due to their limited range Promotes the idea that electric cars have a very limited range, will need to be charged for longer than they can be used, and therefore are not useful
POWER Project [2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038]
Modus operandi
The modus operandi refers to the recurring techniques used to build and spread the disinformation.
POWER Project [2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038]
Your mission
This paragraph is ready to be filled with incredible creativity, experiences, and stories.
POWER Project [2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038]
Introduction
Welcome to the UM Campus for the Electric Cars Immersive Scenario, where you will have the chance of becoming disinformation investigators for a day. Imagine you work as an analyst in a governmental organisation that is encountering instances of disinformation about electric cars and clean energy in general. Your mission: Identify, analyse and respond to the disinformation campaign. You will work in teams and explore real locations with your smartphones. By the end, your team will have understood the roots of the disinformation campaign and proposed solutions to counter it. You have 90 minutes!
POWER Project [2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038]
POWER Project [2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038]
Welcome to the UM Campus for the Electric Cars Immersive Scenario, where you will have the chance of becoming disinformation investigators for a day. Imagine you work as an analyst in a governmental organisation that is encountering instances of disinformation about electric cars and clean energy in general. Your mission: Identify, analyse and respond to the disinformation campaign. You will work in teams and explore real locations with your smartphones. By the end, your team will have understood the roots of the disinformation campaign and proposed solutions to counter it. You have 90 minutes!
The Government is recruiting all kinds of people for this operation. Before entering the laboratory you'll take on a role, and that role —known only to you— will shape how you present yourself and how you interact with the rest of the team.
Take on a secret role. You'll randomly draw one of the five profiles. Don't reveal it: play it. Create your avatar. Design it to match your role and enter the laboratory in FrameVR. Investigate. Search the panels for information on the three narratives, talk to the robots and to the rest of the team. As you search for the truth, you'll inform, disinform or fact-check… depending on your role.
POWER Project [2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038]
POWER Project [2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038]
Introduction
The Government is recruiting all kinds of people for this operation. Before entering the laboratory you'll take on a role, and that role —known only to you— will shape how you present yourself and how you interact with the rest of the team.
Take on a secret role. You'll randomly draw one of the five profiles. Don't reveal it: play it. Create your avatar. Design it to match your role and enter the laboratory in FrameVR. Investigate. Search the panels for information on the three narratives, talk to the robots and to the rest of the team. As you search for the truth, you'll inform, disinform or fact-check… depending on your role.
https://yourls.ciberimaginario.es/powervr
POWER Project [2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038]
POWER Project [2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038]
Your mission
This paragraph is ready to be filled with incredible creativity, experiences, and stories.
POWER Project [2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038]
02
Mission 1 Quiz
POWER Project [2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038]
02
Mission 1 Quiz
POWER Project [2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038]
02
Mission 1 Quiz
POWER Project [2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038]
02
Mission 1 Quiz
POWER Project [2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038]
02
Mission 1 Quiz
POWER Project [2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038]
02
Mission 1 Quiz
POWER Project [2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038]
02
Mission 1 Quiz
POWER Project [2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038]
Instructions
02
Mission 1 Quiz
POWER Project [2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038]
Instructions
02
Mission 1 Quiz
POWER Project [2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038]
Instructions
02
Mission 1 Quiz
POWER Project [2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038]
Instructions
02
Mission 1 Quiz
POWER Project [2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038]
02
POWER Project [2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038]
02
POWER Project [2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038]
02
POWER Project [2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038]
Well
Done
POWERInformation that drives the energy of tomorrow
power.ciberimaginario.es
This publicactuin has been funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union under the project POWER - Prevention Of Weaponization and Enhancing Resilience against Security-related Disinformation on Clean Energy (Reference: 2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038). Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
POWER Project [2024-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000245038]
Cluster 2: Electric vehicles are not environmentally friendly, as they just move the pollution elsewhere, and the mining of lithium and cobalt causes more damage than they save This is one of the most persistent and sophisticated EV disinformation narratives because it contains an element of truth: manufacturing an EV battery requires energy-intensive extraction of lithium, nickel, manganese, and cobalt, and the production carbon footprint is higher than for an equivalent petrol car.
Social media posts linked to disinformation campaigns often claim that EVs are no greener than the cars they replace, that child labour in the Democratic Republic of Congo mines the cobalt that powers them, and that the electricity used to charge them is simply "dirty coal in disguise."
Cluster 3: Electric vehicles have insufficient range, and they will leave you stranded and cannot be used for everyday life Range anxiety was a legitimate concern in the early years of EV adoption, when many vehicles offered real-world ranges below 150 kilometres, which is why such claims are still pervasive today as part of disinformation frameworks. Posts commonly allege that EVs are unusable for journeys beyond a city, that cold winters render them completely unreliable, that charging takes hours and chargers are never available, and that the range stated by manufacturers is fictitious.
This Open Educational Resource (OER) is an experiential scenario developed as part of the POWER Project educational platform. Inspired by the narrative format of TV series like "Élite", this activity puts you in the role of a scriptwriter. Working in teams, you will explore real locations, capture them using ArcGIS QuickCapture, and create fictional scenes that address real disinformation narratives about clean energy — weaving factual data into dramatic storytelling. Your scenes will be assembled into a geolocated StoryMap that combines fiction, science, and counter-narrative strategy. This scenario is designed to develop your ability to communicate complex scientific content through engaging, audience-centred narratives — a core skill for combating disinformation.
Main learning questions addressed:
Cluster 1: Electric vehicles are dangerous as they can catch fire, explode, and cannot be carried on ferries. Battery fires in electric vehicles have been the single most viral category of EV-related content across Facebook, X, and TikTok in recent years. The narrative draws on real events, including the cargo ship Fremantle Highway (2023), which caught fire while carrying approximately 500 EVs, to argue that EVs are inherently and uniquely dangerous.
In Malta, this narrative focuses on a local dimension: the use of the Gozo Channel ferry crossing by EVs Social media posts have raised fears that a single electric car catching fire on the Gozo ferry could cause a catastrophic incident in an enclosed vehicle deck with no escape route, echoing posts that circulated in several European countries when Norwegian ferry operator Havila Kystruten temporarily banned EVs from some routes in 2023.
Engineers explained that such an operation must take place during a period of minimal water flow, typically between December and January, when natural water inflows are very low.
As of recent data, Romania has an installed hydropower capacity of about 6,000 MW. Hydropower accounts for around 30% of Romania’s electricity generation.
Elements:
- Title: concept number + topic (e.g. "03 WHICH TECHNOLOGIES ARE MOST VULNERABLE?")
- Content area with discussion prompts or reflection questions (3–4 bullet points)
- Optional: interactive element (Genially drag-and-drop, matching activity, or embedded form)
- For face-to-face use: include facilitator note explaining how to run the group discussion
- Background: topic-related image
- Bottom: EU co-funding logo + POWER project reference
What to customise: Title, discussion prompts, optional interactive element, facilitator note. Guidelines for content: This screen bridges content and critical thinking. In face-to-face mode it prompts group debate; in online mode it should include at least one interactive element so the learner is not just reading passively.The Ministry of Energy made the first official announcement regarding the rehabilitation project of Vidraru reservoir on the 9th of July 2024. The City Hall of Curtea de Argeș (the closest city to the dam) also informed the public in July 2025 that, starting August 1, 2025, the company Hidroelectrica would begin the process of emptying the Vidraru reservoir in order to carry out refurbishment works.
Engineers explained that such an operation must take place during a period of minimal water flow, typically between December and January, when natural water inflows are very low.
Elements:
- Title: concept number + topic (e.g. "03 WHICH TECHNOLOGIES ARE MOST VULNERABLE?")
- Content area with discussion prompts or reflection questions (3–4 bullet points)
- Optional: interactive element (Genially drag-and-drop, matching activity, or embedded form)
- For face-to-face use: include facilitator note explaining how to run the group discussion
- Background: topic-related image
- Bottom: EU co-funding logo + POWER project reference
What to customise: Title, discussion prompts, optional interactive element, facilitator note. Guidelines for content: This screen bridges content and critical thinking. In face-to-face mode it prompts group debate; in online mode it should include at least one interactive element so the learner is not just reading passively.55.7% of the disinformation on Vidraru was present on X, lower percentages on Facebook, TikTok, Telegram, Youtube.
Elements:
- Title: concept number + topic (e.g. "03 WHICH TECHNOLOGIES ARE MOST VULNERABLE?")
- Content area with discussion prompts or reflection questions (3–4 bullet points)
- Optional: interactive element (Genially drag-and-drop, matching activity, or embedded form)
- For face-to-face use: include facilitator note explaining how to run the group discussion
- Background: topic-related image
- Bottom: EU co-funding logo + POWER project reference
What to customise: Title, discussion prompts, optional interactive element, facilitator note. Guidelines for content: This screen bridges content and critical thinking. In face-to-face mode it prompts group debate; in online mode it should include at least one interactive element so the learner is not just reading passively.The draining was not an accidental collapse — it was a technical requirement to assess and replace hydromechanical equipment, bottom outlets, valves etc., after decades of operation.
As of recent data, Romania has an installed hydropower capacity of about 6,000 MW. Hydropower accounts for around 30% of Romania’s electricity generation.
On the 19th of August 2025, after the disinformation appeared in social media, the Ministry of Energy made another press release explaining the real situation about the rehabilitation plans and the necessity of the repairs. In December 2025, the Ministry of Environment made a press release about the disinformation regarding Paltinu dam.
The draining was not an accidental collapse — it was a technical requirement to assess and replace hydromechanical equipment, bottom outlets, valves etc., after decades of operation.
The Ministry of Energy made the first official announcement regarding the rehabilitation project of Vidraru reservoir on the 9th of July 2024. The City Hall of Curtea de Argeș (the closest city to the dam) also informed the public in July 2025 that, starting August 1, 2025, the company Hidroelectrica would begin the process of emptying the Vidraru reservoir in order to carry out refurbishment works.
Elements:
- Title: concept number + topic (e.g. "03 WHICH TECHNOLOGIES ARE MOST VULNERABLE?")
- Content area with discussion prompts or reflection questions (3–4 bullet points)
- Optional: interactive element (Genially drag-and-drop, matching activity, or embedded form)
- For face-to-face use: include facilitator note explaining how to run the group discussion
- Background: topic-related image
- Bottom: EU co-funding logo + POWER project reference
What to customise: Title, discussion prompts, optional interactive element, facilitator note. Guidelines for content: This screen bridges content and critical thinking. In face-to-face mode it prompts group debate; in online mode it should include at least one interactive element so the learner is not just reading passively.In autumn-winter 2025, over 100,000 people from Prahova and Dâmbovița counties were left without potable water for several days due to extremely high turbidity in the water from the accumulation lake, making it impossible to treat and supply water. The high turbidity was further increased by heavy rainfalls in one day.Turbidity refers to how clean or clear the water is, based on how many small particles are floating in it.
Engineers explained that such an operation must take place during a period of minimal water flow, typically between December and January, when natural water inflows are very low.
In autumn-winter 2025, over 100,000 people from Prahova and Dâmbovița counties were left without potable water for several days due to extremely high turbidity in the water from the accumulation lake, making it impossible to treat and supply water. The high turbidity was further increased by heavy rainfalls in one day.Turbidity refers to how clean or clear the water is, based on how many small particles are floating in it.
On the 19th of August 2025, after the disinformation appeared in social media, the Ministry of Energy made another press release explaining the real situation about the rehabilitation plans and the necessity of the repairs. In December 2025, the Ministry of Environment made a press release about the disinformation regarding Paltinu dam.
55.7% of the disinformation on Vidraru was present on X, lower percentages on Facebook, TikTok, Telegram, Youtube.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit