Convém leres as conclusões do paper (o negrito é meu)
It is often mistakenly assumed that technological evolution occurs in a Darwinian world in which all technological possibilities begin on equal footing and advance or stagnate according to relative efficiency or social merit. Such an idyllic notion obscures the fact that all modes of transport require government support. The diffusion of early vehicles in the United States, such as EVs, steamers, gasoline automobiles, streetcars, and railways, has historically been a conflicted process, occurring in fits and starts, associated with different visions and values, success never guaranteed for any option, with eventual dominance achieved by gasoline vehicles slowly over time. Transportation policy and technology thus emerge as the outcome of contingent and uneven development that reflect not so much the planned needs expressed by completely rational manufacturers and drivers, but encompass a web of overlapping technical, economic, political, and socio-cultural elements and priorities.
Within such an environment, the relative success of the gasoline vehicle was connected to more than mere technology. Even though EVs initially had many advantages over gasoline- and steam-powered transport, including quieter operation, cleaner performance, and the seemingly attractive vision of a “horseless America,” they ultimately faced rejection by consumers and industrialists. EV technology, aimed at a luxury market, did not improve rapidly enough compared to gasoline vehicle technology, which was mass produced for many different types of drivers. EVs were more expensive than gasoline vehicles, had slower top speeds, were difficult to charge, and were mostly confined to urban areas. As important, EVs came to be seen as old fashioned and feminine; streetcars and trolleys as tools of corruption; trains as dehumanizing. Gasoline automobiles, instead, were associated with individualism, social renewal, family solidarity, meritocracy, and universality. Manufacturers shrewdly designed dealerships and offered test drives, provided low-cost financing and insurance, and implemented aggressive advertising campaigns aimed at men, women, and families. Significant advances in design, many borrowed from carriages, bicycles, trains, and EVs, increased the performance of gasoline vehicles and reduced their cost. The social influence of rural populations, well publicized long-distance races and tours, a series of automobile shows, and linkages between the automobile industry and other sectors of the economy convinced steel manufacturers, road construction firms, advertising agencies, banks, financers, insurance companies, and politicians to support the gasoline vehicle. Gasoline automobiles were zealously endorsed during World War I as a military necessity, benefitted from many technological developments that improved their efficiency and range while lowering their cost, were blessed with the construction of highways and roads funded by taxpayers, and were supported by an effectively organized consortium of automobile manufacturers and oil companies. Electric utilities, the primary fuel suppliers for mass transit systems and EVs, and other stakeholders could not agree about how best to position electricity as a fuel for the transportation sector, remained fragmented, and focused on other markets.
Enfim, política reles, e muito marketing!
pois era a política de direita que dizia que não é aumentando apenas o consumo pela via da devolução de rendimentos que conseguimos aumentar o PIB de forma sustentável. Este tipo de crescimento é completamente insustentável porque, por um lado é feito apenas à custa de endividamento, e porque é feito à custa de endividamento externo. Ademais quando um português compra um carro, está adquirir um ativo cuja manutenção e operação vai depender quase exclusivamente de importações, i.e., peças e combustíveis.
