America has a Technological inferiority complex. China makes over half the world's lithium batteries. They produce 90% of neodymium magnets. They mine 70% of rare earths and process 85%.

America makes burgers.

This is the story of how China won the Electric Stack—and whether America can catch up.

What's the Electric Stack?

Everything that moves will eventually run on batteries and electric motors. Cars, buses, ships, planes, robots, drones, tools. The Electric Stack is the supply chain that makes this possible: batteries, magnets, rare earths, processing, manufacturing.

China controls it.

This isn't just about EVs. It's about who builds the robots, who powers the drones, who controls the energy transition.

If it can go electric, it will go electric. And right now, that means it will be made in China.

Please enjoy the show.

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Timestamps

(00:00) The Electric Stack

(02:13) Beginnings: War, The Oil Crisis & Stan Whittingham

(03:46) The Song Handycam: Lateral Thinking With Withered Technology

(05:06) Tesla, Elon And Handycam Batteries In An EV

(06:46) China Buys US Battery Company A-123 At A Carboot Sale

(08:40) China, The Olympics And The Serendipity of Battery Technology

(11:37) Faraday And The Birth Of Neodymium Magnets

(14:26) The 3.5 Inch Neodymium Magnet Alpha Product

(16:46) Magnequench

(18:16) Drones, Ukraine And The Magnet War Machine

(20:16) Politics, Rare Earths And 'The Future's Too Important' T-shirts