It’s official. It’s now cheaper, on average, to buy a new electric car than one that burns gasoline, without subsidies. But it’s not having any effect on climate change. It seems the global climate runs on its own largely unexplained clock, and nothing we do affects it much.

Electric cars have become the vehicle of choice for two reasons; cheaper, more efficient batteries, and charging convenience. Now that the vast majority of electric power comes from renewable sources, it makes sense to put the excess to good use whenever it’s available – and that’s cheaper than gas.

Solar power is widely distributed, and very efficient; but it was storage technology that made the big difference. After all, solar doesn’t work very well at night, or when it’s raining.

Led by Tesla, Mercedes, BYD and Samsung, battery packs for cars and home storage became commodity items; every home should have one, and many do. Putting solar on your roof became a no-brainer. Why pay to charge your car, when you can do it yourself? And you can always sell the leftovers to your neighbour.

Now the Energy Internet is in full swing. Micro-grids connect neighbourhoods of rooftop producers with home and business consumers, and there’s a charging point at every parking space. It’s all backed up and stabilized by universal battery packs, and micro-payments for energy are easily managed by the blockchain.

Who would have thought that smart city infrastructure would be driven by cars? It’s all thanks to the auto manufacturers, and the electric car.