What If Chronicles

What If: The Electric Revolution That Never Was


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Imagine a world where, from the very beginning of industrialization, we had prioritized renewable energy sources over fossil fuels. What would our world look like today? This podcast will explore this fascinating counterfactual, examining the potential impacts on electric vehicle (EV) development, space exploration, and even the environmental movement itself.

  • EVs Rule the Road: Instead of succumbing to the dominance of gasoline-powered cars, imagine EVs flourishing from the late 19th century onwards. Early investments in renewable energy would have spurred the development of robust charging infrastructure and rapid advancements in battery technology, possibly leading to battery tech decades ahead of what we have today.
  • Space Exploration: Without the readily available energy density of fossil fuels, our journey into space may have taken a different, slower, but more sustainable path. Imagine launches powered by green technologies, space stations prioritizing solar power and efficiency, and a focus on long-term sustainability rather than rapid, fossil-fueled leaps forward.
  • The Green Movement: In a world without a climate crisis fueled by fossil fuels, the environmental movement would look radically different. Concerns would center on optimizing renewable energy systems, mitigating the impact of renewable infrastructure on wildlife, and managing the waste streams associated with battery and solar panel production.
  • This podcast will explore these and other thought-provoking questions:

    • Would a world built on renewable energy be a utopia, or would it face its own unique set of challenges?
    • How would the geopolitics of energy and technological innovation be reshaped?
    • What lessons can we learn from this counterfactual as we navigate our own real-world clean energy transition?
    • Join us as we explore this alternate history of energy, innovation, and the future we might have had.

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      What If ChroniclesBy Chien Trang