Conversation

For all practical purposes Bertha Benz, wife of Karl Benz, can be considered the first person to refuel by purchasing ligroin (a petroleum spirit that was commonly used as an organic solvent in chemical laboratories) from Stadt-Apotheke (Town Pharmacy) in Wiesloch during August 1888. And Stadt-Apotheke can considered the world’s first filling station.

During 1888, the global CO2 levels were 31 percent lower than today (425 ppm).

There will be a person who will eventually buy fossil fuel for the last time from the world's last filling station before disposing off the fossil fuel driven vehicle. When will that happen? The exact date of the last purchase of fossil fuel remains uncertain due to the dynamic nature of fossil fuel reserves and consumption patterns. My guess is that eventuality will not happen during this century.

In 2018 global CO2 emissions from transport was 24% of CO2 emissions from energy. 74.5% of those transport emissions came from road vehicles.

It is unfortunate that due to poor social and economic policies, an elegant invention like car ended up seriously challenging the urban environment, infrastructure and liveability. This is how I feel while living in Bengaluru where car has become a necessary evil.

Reference:
1. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/stadtapotheke-wiesloch
2. https://infinity-renewables.com/162-2/
3. https://ourworldindata.org/co2-emissions-from-transport

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