The internal combustion engine completely won out. The gas powered car created a level of personal mobility and atonomy that seemed magical. To this day, there are more than a million deaths globaly from car crashes. Many wars have been fought over access to oil and gasolene. It feels like half of all us. Foreign policy has been driven by oil. And of course, those gas powered cars have been major polluters.
After a huge false start, electric cars are finally about to flourish. We speak with a technology historian about this all-too-common story, and what it means for innovation everywhere.