Technology change in the spotlight
02/21/2023
Rarely does a single picture sum up technological change so intensively: the mighty steam locomotives, initially feared, later and to this day admired power machines that present their drive openly and comprehensibly, are increasingly giving way to aerodynamically shaped box railcars or locomotives that conceal their power source and drive technology, be it the electric motors or, as here in the Bugatti autorail, two or four 12.7-liter eight-cylinder engines.
Yes, that's right: proud Bugatti engines powering public transportation vehicles - what a sacrilege! But these magnificent combustion engines, which were actually intended for the Bugatti Royale, now had to make a contribution to the survival of the legendary automobile company during the economic crisis of the 1930s, and that in the mundane public transport sector in France.
Thirty years earlier, the combustion engine had triumphed over steam and electric propulsion in the automobile. Now steam technology was inexorably being replaced by the more efficient combustion engine, especially the diesel engine, but increasingly above all by the electric drive, which in turn is now gradually replacing the petrol and diesel engines in cars. By 2035, new cars with petrol or diesel engines will be a thing of the past in Europe. We will never again enjoy a new type of camshaft control, even higher liter outputs and even more cylinders, the sound of a new Formula 1 engine completing its first test drive.
But whether electromobility will really be the last word in wisdom remains to be seen ...
