Map: A National Network of EV Corridors

 

How interesting!  The shift to EV automobility has a long way to go. Will the adoption of the EV just attenuate the divide into the two Americas? Money is now flowing for the development of this "2nd Interstate Highway System."  In the very long run, how will the establishment of fast charging stations lead to population shifts and demographic changes? Will consumers want to wait 40 minutes or stand in a queue?  Will Internal Combustion Engine powered cars "gas and go." Will the new stations feature food, perhaps some entertainment, and other ways to kill time while waiting. What about the communities passed by? It sure looks like an East  Coast/ West Coast phenomenon with the exception of Texas, at least in early stages of development. Can the electric grid keep up with the highways?  

China is going to build more coal electric plants. Nuclear takes a decade or more to build.  We need a parallel rush to build nuclear plants, in my opinion, to get prepared for 2040.

Car Clubs in California During the 1950s

 

Taken from a Facebook post, car clubs painted on the side of a hill, Chatsworth, CA. Car Clubs are a topic worthy of study if we are to fully understand the the history of Golden Age of the automobile  during the 1950s.  Occasionally one might find ephemeral literature on one club or another -- I have seen a history of a club from Middletown, OH.  The topic is rich!  Start by searching newspaper indices!

A Young Third World Child Dreaming of Owning a Mercedes-Benz

 

What more needs to be said? Cars are universal objects of desire. What is the dream? The car or class mobility? What chance did this young man have?

Another Mercedes-Benz 450 SL Advertisement: "Spoil Yourself"

 

Not much more to say here that I have not said before. This car is a roadster, but not a sports car.  It does not have a manual transmission. Lightness is not a attribute of this car. It is strong and safe, with numerous conveniences, very much unlike the traditional British sportscar. It is carefully engineered, particularly in terms of suspension.  It is built for the leisure class, for those who golf, go to the club, or to a formal gathering. It makes a statement about its owner -- successful, active, fashion conscious. And a car one can travel vast distances in without beating you up.

Mercedes-Benz 450 SL R107 Advertisement: "Freedom for Two"

 

Note the federalized bumpers -- so this is ad post 1973. Those bumpers made the car that much more safe, but really worked against the clean lines of the original design. Is the passenger a man or a woman -- I cannot tell! 

The ad touts the engineering design of the V-8. I don't believe that the engine is special. !981 and 81 SLs had single chain timing chains, and proved to be a disaster. The engine is not particularly powerful nor economical. Overall durable, perhaps. We'll find out, as mine has 141K on it!

The Mercedes-Benz 450 SL -- Secure, Serene, Understated

It w

 Conspicuous consumption and white privilege during a decade of stagflation, high unemployment, and two energy crises.  It was an object of desire -- although I like my R 107 because of engineering, build quality, and thoughtful ergonomics. I am trying to understand my attraction to this car. Perhaps because it represents some sort of success from a decade that was for me struggle. And somehow I came out of it fine, albeit years removed from the 1970s.