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Electric cars aren’t impressive. If you want to actually point to the surprising innovation over that period, it’s computers and the internet.
by BriggyDwiggs42 2y ago
Electric cars aren’t impressive. If you want to actually point to the surprising innovation over that period, it’s computers and the internet.
- robertlagrant 2y agoWe had mass market computers 30 years before mass market electric cars, so I think they are quite impressive.
- BriggyDwiggs42 2y agoThe first cars were also electric, it’s not groundbreaking technology. Remember the bar here is on the order of flying cars. Only computers come close to clearing that for me.
- robertlagrant 2y agoThe Difference Engine design was around even before that, but it would also be bad faith to argue that computers aren't a modern miracle.
- BriggyDwiggs42 2y agoWe didn’t have diesel computers able to be used by the average person and capable of roughly the same range and volume of arithmetic operations as modern computers. We did have gasoline powered cars that served precisely the same function. Electric cars are an improvement in energy efficiency, climate impact, and user experience, but really just an iterative improvement on existing vehicles.
- LargoLasskhyfv 2y agoMeanwhile GM built a few https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors_EV1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors_EV1 from 1996 to 1999, which all got recalled until 2003 because of corporate politics / 'for business reasons'. Which is the topic of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who_Killed_the_Electric_Car https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who_Killed_the_Electric_Car? from 2006. So 'mass market' could very well have been possible about 30 years ago, without Grumpy Management … … …
- robertlagrant 2y agoEven then, having the vision to roll out superchargers, and cannibalise a very successful business, and invest a fortune in a brand new from-scratch platform, is just supremely unlikely in practice. Why jeopardise your bonus?