Mastodawn

Cars are the most heavily subsidised product on earth

When we talk about subsidies, we usually think of a check written by the government to a farmer or a tax credit for buying an electric vehicle. But if we widen our lens and look at the true cost of doing business, there is one product that stands alone as the most subsidised commodity in human history. It isn't wheat, it isn't trains, and it isn't wind turbines. It is the car.(Car in this article refers to, all passenger vehicles including "pickup trucks.") The car is a consumer product […]

https://envirocomms5.wordpress.com/2026/06/15/cars-are-the-most-heavily-subsidised-product-on-earth/

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mike805 10h ago

@envirocomms5.wordpress.com Cars got a lot of hostility in their early years. They were banned in the 19th century UK, with fairly onerous exceptions for slow heavy haulage engines.

Once user-friendly cars became available in the 20th century, the actual and prospective car owners organized politically to remove 5mph speed limits and outright bans.

The AAA, now known for insurance and roadside assistance, was founded as a car owner lobbying organization. 1/2

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mike805

@envirocomms5.wordpress.com Early cars like the Model T were designed to handle dirt roads normally used by horse drawn vehicles.

The mid-century highway building program in the USA (and the earlier one in Germany) was sold as a military preparedness thing. The Army had tried to send a convoy across country on existing roads and failed miserably.

Highway overpasses are designed to leave room for a tank on a flatbed to pass under the bridge. 2/2