[NOTE: This column appeared in September 2019 on https://davidhoule.com/evolutionshift-blog ] Evolutionshift is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. 100 years ago, the automobile industry was rapidly expanding in America. The internal combustion engine [ICE] autos were rolling out of factories in ever greater numbers. The prices had just come down, installment payment plans were created to fuel the sales of the auto companies and the automobile started to become part of the American landscape. From then until the 1970s the automobile industry was the backbone of industrial growth in the country.