By Markus Z. Watkins (Automotive Technician and CEO of The Big Blue Truck Co. & The CarKeeper)
The automotive world is no stranger to change. Carbureted motors were lost to electronic fuel injection engines, the big block motor has "gone the way of the Dodo", and we find ourselves in a world of electric vehicles being forced upon us in the name of "Green Energy". Don't get me wrong, EV's have their own uses and some have some neat features; but if you haven't felt it or noticed it, the blatant forcing of the EV world upon the internal combustion engine world is upon us.
Many older folk (mostly my late grandfather) have told me the stories like that of the Ford 427 side-oiler and its seemingly god-like status in the racing community. I've heard about the undeniable will of the IDI 7.3L diesel motor to never die. The GM/Chevy 350 motor, made for any vehicle, as well as the average person's wallet. Another that comes to mind is two legends in speed -- The dominant Dodge Daytona/Plymouth Superbird and the elusive Ford Thunderbolt. There are more stories to tell, and my blog post could take years to write if I could write about them all; but these all are proof of one thing the car world has built over the past 100+ years of automobile history. We have a HERITAGE.
I like the definitions that Dictionary.com gives the word heritage.
noun
something that is handed down from the past, as a tradition:
a national heritage of honor, pride, and courage.
adjective
noting or relating to a product, place, etc., that evokes a nostalgic sense of tradition or history:
visitors to a heritage site in the Middle East.
I, personally, have a car heritage. Most of us do, whether we embrace it or not. Your dad, granddad, great-granddad, mom, grandma, great-grandma, uncle, aunt, or someone in your family tree tinkered around with vehicles at some point. Some of our roots run deeper into it than others. Being a car guy was passed down to me, even when I didn't entirely realize it. I contend that most of us (mainly guys, but definitely a good number of women too) have an interest in this heritage, even if we don't realize it.
I've been rambling... let's get to the roots of this post.
Electric vehicles are here. There's no going back. As a car guy and someone who works on cars everyday, I see a forcible shift to move away from car culture as we know it. When you look at our modern governments (speaking of the USA government specifically), you can always tell what they're goals are by what they subsidize. The solar panel world, for example, is heavily subsidized and marketed to be almost affordable to the average homeowner. Who backs those subsidies? The government. The EV world is no different. The government pushes tax breaks and subsidies to make EV's seem affordable and a better option than a gas powered vehicle. Their "green policies" are also seeking to regulate how much you use your gas or diesel vehicles. So in short, your government (if you're in the USA) does NOT want you buying or operating a gas or diesel powered car.
Now let's keep adding to this:
What is car heritage? Car heritage is preserving and keeping alive the memories and vehicles that our forefathers were accustomed to. As car people, some of greatest memories are taking our carefully prepared and restored vehicles to car shows and meeting with other car enthusiasts. Each car has a story. Each car has some form of emotional memory and attachment. The reason we show off these hotrods, trucks, muscle cars, big rigs, etc. is because we have a story to tell about them. There's a motive behind the madness that is restoring a car. There's a goal in mind when we swap the cams and exhaust on a newer car. There's a point to adding lift kits and levelling kits to our trucks. There are reasons to all of this: pride and heritage. As humans, we naturally seek to honor those who went before us, if our relationships with them were good. We take pride in running our forefathers vehicles. We get a glimpse into the past as to what it was like in their days.
Why are EV's going to remove the pride and heritage of the car world?
The year is 2040. All internal combustion engine powered vehicles have been ordered to the scrap yard or be converted to electric (yes, even granddads Fox Body Mustang is there too). Your friends all gather for the weekend. Not many cars are there, as many can't afford one anymore. Instead of the rumble of a big-block Chevy motor coming in, all you hear is the earie hummmmmm of a Telsa Cybertruck. Or the new Mustang Mach E7 comes zipping into your drive. You will all reminisce about the good ol days when the Dodge Challenger used to be made with the Hellcat in it. Or when the Ford Mustang GT350 was brough back in the 2000s. The oldest vehicle there is a 20 year old Ford Lightning that can only hold 50 miles worth of charge and the owner can't afford a new battery. The heritage of the former car world is gone. The old ways are gone. The free and easy life of the VW van is now hooked to the internet and a charger every night. That's the life and culture globalists want for us. That's the subtle goal of the EV movement. If you don't believe me, look it up.
No loud cars.
No fumes.
No gas.
No revs.
No nothing.
No late Friday nights with the boys at Uncle Charlie's shop, working on the trucks together.
No more carbed vs. EFI conversations.
No more restoration projects (because the car's will only be able to worked on by technicians).
No more independence for long trips.
No more heritage.
No more pride.
Just a large cell phone with a timebomb for a battery on wheels -- an EV.
Is this fear mongering?
It might feel that way. I promise you that I have heard the plans of the Green New Deal and the World Economic Forum and they all point to a fuel-less society. "15 Minute Cities", and the old moniker "You will own nothing and be happy".
I am thoroughly optimistic though. The car culture will not go away without a fight. Heritage will not be let to die in this industry. In my opinion, for as long as there are humans willing to get greasy, not afraid to smell like gas, and willing to flex their inner rebel, the history and heritage will visibly remain.
In the grand scheme of the earth, we have had a very short heritage in the car world. Nevertheless, it is a heritage. The internal combustion engine and the automobile are one of the peak achievements of modern man. Just as my grandfather saw cars go from pure muscle to becoming drivable computers, I will see the evolution of cars in my own lifetime. We all will. I just hope and pray that in my lifetime, I can still have the freedom to honor the heritage that was passed to me.
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