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Cars and Second Order Consequences
Article

Cars and Second Order Consequences

Ben Evans, 2017

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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Applicable
  • Eye Opening
  • Background

Recommendation

According to some estimates, the car industry is only a decade away from mass-producing autonomous electric vehicles. This new generation of cars will remake the fabric of living spaces and public infrastructure and affect human lives in ways that are impossible to predict. In his blog post, Silicon Valley insider Benedict Evans provides a peak at what a future of self-driving electric cars might hold. getAbstract recommends Evans’s thought-provoking blogpost to real estate developers, urban planners and people seeking a glimpse of the future.

Summary

Two technological developments will fundamentally change the car industry by 2025: the switch from gas-powered to electric cars and the introduction of autonomous electric vehicles. Besides revolutionizing the car industry, they will affect people’s lifestyles, businesses, and public health and infrastructure in complex ways. Resulting “second- and third-order consequences” may include the following:

  • Electric cars will make gas stations obsolete – and deprive the attached convenience stores of their customers. Since gas station stores sell more than...

About the Author

Benedict Evans is a partner at Andreessen Horowitz, a venture capital firm in Silicon Valley that invests in technology companies. He publishes regular newsletters, podcasts and blogposts on the future of technology.