Reimagining EVs as Computers on Wheels

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This chapter discusses new players, particularly from Silicon Valley, entering the electric vehicle (EV) industry and how they viewed EVs as a computer on wheels. It explores historical trends in American consumer electronics, the challenges of integrating lithium-ion batteries, and how the metaphor of a computer on wheels helped experts engage with EV technology.

In 2022, there were more than 2 million electric vehicles, or EVs, on the road in the United States. In 2005, there were only about 1,000. The conventional wisdom credits better batteries with this remarkable growth. In the 2010s, engineers delivered batteries that cost less and could go many miles further. Consequently, driving range increased, costs decreased, and sales soared. EVs now compete with vehicles powered by traditional internal combustion engines.

But Matthew Eisler (University of Strathclyde) challenges this narrative. He argues that the US resurgence in EVs had little to do with technology and much more to do with public policies, business models, and social conditions. On this episode, Eisler talks with host Jason Lloyd about the complex history of EV adoption, how a powerful metaphor invited new players into car manufacturing, and what the EV revival might mean for infrastructure such as electric grids.

Resources

Matthew N. Eisler’s recent book, Age of Auto Electric: Environment, Energy, and the Quest for the Sustainable Car (MIT Press, 2022)
Read an excerpt from the book, published in the Winter 2023 Issues in Science and Technology: “Computers on Wheels?”