What a decade!
In the short term, we’re likely to continue talking about the recession, the recovery, the double-dip, the renewed recovery, and so on. But, when we look back, what we’ll truly remember this past decade for is engineering triumph.
Thankfully, the period of 2000-2010 in the auto industry has seen the engineers reassert their authority over the accountants, and we’ve seen some incredible technological achievements as a result. The paradox, however, is that one could well render the other extinct.
On the one hand, you have the Bugatti Veryon, which is the ultimate expression of the automobile powered by the internal combustion engine. And, in all likelihood, it’ll retain that title for perpetuity. You see, creating a car that sips fossil fuel by the barrel is no longer politically correct. And, therefore, we’re not likely to see another creation like it. It is, and shall remain, the swansong of the internal combustion engine that has served us so well for so long. Don’t get me wrong, this is not an obituary by any means, but perhaps a eulogy for a breed of vehicle that could get away with having 16 cylinders, 4 turbos, 10 radiators, and a top speed in excess of 400km/h.
And what is the technological marvel that killed it, you ask? Well, in short, the laptop. Or the laptop battery to be more specific. A company by the name of Tesla, a cocky start-up in the Silicon Valley, trumped every automaker on the planet by introducing an electric vehicle that was both fast and sexy. It wasn’t practical, but that didn’t matter because the world sat up and took notice. Tesla shattered the myth that being green meant being as dull as ditchwater. And that was truly a revelation. And the Tesla was nothing more than thousands of lithium ion cells squeezed into the frame of a Lotus Elise, but that’s all it took.
Now, every manufacturer worth its salt is investing everything into alternative propulsion – with EVs clearly leading the charge. And these vehicles are actually coming on-stream, with cars such as the Leaf and the Volt, from Nissan and General Motors respectively, already in showrooms and driveways.
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There’s a lot more to be done of course – such as the advent of smart grids and renewable energy. A new ecosystem will undoubtedly take time, and it won’t be without its challenges either. But then, heralding a new era is never easy. Here’s to another triumphant decade – technologically at least! |
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