The book is an easy, fast-paced read and the ride is smooth, despite bumps caused by uneven phrasemaking such as “purr like a panther in a piano box”, “as lusciously curved as a marshmallow’s behind” and “like a machine-gun bullet pregnant with twins”. There are occasional unexpected swerves but not enough to take the story too far off the road.

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“Electric vehicle sales will be helped by the government’s mix of incentive and subsidies,” he remarks, without mentioning the Chinese government’s inept application of subsidies in the past, including in the related industry of solar panels. The result was a glut of low-quality product much of which went uninstalled, some of which produced electricity surplus to requirements, and some of which was dumped on overseas markets leading to tussles at the WTO. Subsidies were abruptly withdrawn

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It is not until late in the book that McKenzie looks at the environmental benefits of ride-sharing using autonomous vehicles. He admits only to going carless for a short while, and even then in the hope of eventually affording a Tesla Model 3 after its much-delayed delivery. Perhaps he could have examined the environmental impact of manufacturing so many vehicles, or the poisonous emissions from non-engine sources such as braking systems..