The 1886 Benz Patent-Motorwagen. (https://tinyurl.com/4uuztxbv)
Personal, motorized transportation has steadily evolved since the first viably commercial car, the Benz Patent-Motorwagen, took to the streets in 1886. Change was hard then, and change is hard now. A lot of people were not at all happy with the noisy, smelly, undoubtedly dangerous machines scaring the locals and their horses. But, we slowly addressed these intrusive issues and people started to see the value in the personal freedom they provided.
When all of this kicked off, the entire global population was nearing 1.6 billion people, or about the size of China or India today. To accommodate these freedom machines in a world with more than eight billion people, we’ve made monumental cultural and social changes, and that doesn’t appear to be slowing down. Given where we’ve been, how we’ve handled it, and where we’re going, it’s not difficult to expect overreaction, even with the best of intentions. But, we do seem to always end up in a better place, and we’ll be forever fixing, tinkering, improving, and racing whatever we’ve got. Hang in there!
Daily drivers, same basic purpose, 26-year age difference. The garage remains peaceful.
Despite all the hand-waving and volumes of misinformation, in reality it’s not ICE vs. EV. Even in California, there are more than ten years to ponder change and adjust! Expect more engineering revelations and breakthroughs, from sustainable, clean fuels to 1000-mile-plus eco-friendly batteries. Patience, grasshopper.
Choice is good, and the massive, global enthusiast population will not be left in the dust. Can we just coexist peacefully and embrace change?
