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Freakonomics Radio

498. In the 1890s, the Best-Selling Car Was … Electric

Freakonomics Radio

Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher

Documentary, Society & Culture

4.632K Ratings

🗓️ 31 March 2022

⏱️ 43 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

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.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

I'm sure you know what's going on with gas prices lately.

0:05.7

You don't need us to play you some cliched news clip.

0:09.8

But here's one anyway.

0:11.1

Let's turn to those skyrocketing gas prices that are crushing so many American families.

0:15.6

As of this recording, the average price of a gallon of gas in the U.S. is well over $4

0:20.1

up, roughly 50% from last year.

0:23.2

And in some places like California, it's much more expensive than that.

0:27.0

We have some prices surging nearly 49 cents just in the past week or so.

0:32.0

Gas prices had already been rising and then came the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

0:37.1

We're banning all imports of Russian oil and gas.

0:40.8

Now, keep in mind that gas still costs less in the U.S. than it does in most other rich

0:46.2

countries.

0:47.2

And it's been that way for a long time.

0:49.3

That's one reason people in those countries tend to drive smaller cars and we tend to

0:53.6

drive SUVs and pickup trucks.

0:56.0

Still, the recent spike in gas prices here has been unsettling and for some people disastrous.

1:04.0

It has been said that necessity is the mother of invention, but disaster may be an even

1:10.2

bigger mother.

1:11.4

I think disasters can spur people to try new approaches and we see this adoption of

1:15.4

new technologies often picks up in recessions and other crises because people are willing

1:19.1

to try new things.

1:21.8

That is Tom Standage.

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