Many technologies have an Achilles’ heel that can either impede or doom their acceptance.
A long time ago, my startup had a project with 3M. During a visit to their offices, we had many discussions about technology. They mentioned that there were many improvements in internet speed, but the problem was “the last mile”--which in real terms was usually the last couple of feet of connectivity that was actually in the house. One might have a super-fast cable to the house, but if the internal wiring was not up to spec, then the user might get low speed connectivity anyway.
During our recent visit to the US, we experienced several technological wonders that seem to also have issues that may crimp their success. On this visit, we took a one-day drive with a Tesla Cybertruck. That which impresses me with Tesla in general is that Elon Musk and his engineers thought deeply about every aspect of their products. Rather than take last year’s model and move the radio further to the right and make the lights more square, Tesla would appear to have started with a blank piece of paper and asked the questions: “What does a car need to have and how can we best provide it?” The cars are technological marvels and a pleasure to drive. The Cybertruck was no different. It was huge, powerful, easy to drive and full of features that one would expect from premium brands. Yet, when it came time to charge the beast, we had challenges. Not knowing anything about charging electric vehicles and not having a charging unit in the Airbnb rental where we were staying, we were truly clueless. Our first stop was at a non-Tesla charging station. We did not have the proper adapters to use the chargers present, and I quickly realized that all of the cars around us were non-Tesla. Across the street from this location was a Tesla dealership. We went there and found that they had two chargers. As we backed in to use one, a fellow came running out to say that they were only for their employees. A third attempt miles from our place had a Tesla supercharger that barely charged, and the fourth try worked as advertised.
In the US, many people have garages or private parking spaces. As such, for people who can charge their cars regularly at home, an electric car may make perfect sense, and we saw lots of Tesla and other brands of electric vehicles on the California roads. But if one needs public charging systems either for regular charging or for long-distance trips, then life might be a bit harder. I have read many stories of superchargers not working or charging stations being full. Additionally, charging takes time. Our boys needed half an hour to return the Cybertruck to the battery level it had when we picked it up. Here in Israel, most people do not have a fixed parking space, and as such, charging becomes more challenging. I have seen some hanging long extension cords from windows, over trees, and around street signs until they reach their cars. Charging in the US will not be a game breaker, but all car manufacturers are dialing back their EV plans. People are not as into these cars as the outgoing Biden administration had hoped.
In our travels to and from the US, we flew on an Airbus A380 super-jumbo and a Boeing 787. The latter flew directly between Los Angeles and Tel Aviv in under 14 hours. We are so used to the modern technical miracles in our lives that we often forget how incredible the technology we routinely use actually is. I regaled the family with the ancient practice of refueling. I still remember the need to stop in Hawaii or Gander to refuel in order to complete a long-distance flight. No longer. The longest flights today run over 19 hours. The planes are generally comfortable and provide smooth flying experiences. As El Al is currently the only airline that is consistently flying to and from Israel, it is making money as it never has in its history. When its new owner, Kenny Rosenberg, bought the airline a few years ago, people thought that he had purchased a dog that never made money. What a difference a multi-front war makes. All of the major US and European airlines are on the sidelines while El Al eats their lunch. They have ordered many new planes as they are currently flush with cash.
While the technical aspects of flight are truly remarkable, everything associated with air travel is awful. There is probably nothing so miserable in modern society as air travel. One arrives at the airport to face long lines. The first one is generally with the airline if you need to deliver luggage or generate a boarding pass. One can easily spend half an hour or more just to get things done. Then there is passport/ID control followed by near disrobing for metal detection. While all of the government staff of TSA and border control that we encountered were professional and extremely pleasant, waiting in long lines and then trying to put one’s shoes and belt back in their normal locations can be quite frustrating. Today, at LAX, we walked 25 minutes from the security check to our gate. I thought that we were simply walking to Tel Aviv. Then there was the hour of boarding. I don’t know how it happens, but planes no longer have enough space for carry-on trolleys. I first saw this phenomenon with smaller planes like 737’s, but more recently I have heard the crew begging people to check their trolleys on 777’s and the like. People are getting bigger; apparently so are their carry-ons. On our return flight, all of the overhead compartments towards the back of the plane were filled with items the crew stores there. This seriously limited the space for all of the passengers in the last five rows.
Technology is oftentimes just the start. Its successful implementation is often the difference between winners and losers. Apple’s iPods were cool with their spin wheels and could hold a thousand songs, while competing MP3 devices of the day could take 20-30. Later, Apple made function-rich iPhones at a price point that its competitors could not reach. More recently, Apple has lost that mojo and has resorted to highly incremental improvements in its products. The Vision Pro barely sells, though it is a technological wonder. It is very expensive, heavy on the head, can cause headaches and requires an attached heavy battery. During our stay in LA, I wanted to swap my old Apple watch for a newer one. In the end I did not, as my 6th generation watch has blood oxygen measurement capabilities which the newer versions do not due to an ongoing patent dispute between Apple and another company.
Many great technologies died because of their poor interface with the customers who were supposed to use the derivative products. “Better Place” had an early EV vehicle that included a battery swapping system to reduce charging time to a few minutes. Because it only had one car type (Nissan Leaf) and in Israel would not sell to anyone who did not have a fixed parking spot, the company that raised nearly a billion dollars in investment went kaput. Segway was supposed to revolutionize human transportation and has instead become the legend of mall cops. EV charging problems will be coming up against a proposed Department of Energy leader who is a pioneer in the fracking world. EV’s and air travel will not disappear. But if their associated activities like charging or going through hours of pre-flight procedures do not become more human-friendly, their growth may be limited by their own dead weight.