Who Were The Original Energy Disruptors Back In The 1920's - the answer will probably shock you!

There was a moment in time that could have, should have, would have, delivered?a radically different world - a better world - than the world we all live in today...here's why.

If the 30th President of The United States had been Henry Ford and not Calvin Coolidge, we would without doubt have seen the first sustainable city back in the 1920's. A utopian garden city powered by a mammoth hydroelectric dam at Muscle Shoals, Alabama.?

That prospect was born out of a vision that Henry Ford and Thomas Alva Edison - the twin tech wizards of the first decades of the 20th century in America put together, and a story that Thomas Hager wonderfully?chronicles in his book 'Electric City'.

And here's the thing, had Elon Musk been born in the USA, and could therefore?run for President at some point, the parallels for what Ford came close to delivering to what Mr Musk advocates today are uncanny.?

There is enough water power running to waste to turn every wheel in the world and provide all the light and heat the whole world needs. We are going to operate our Mexican tractor plant with water power, and we shall build water power plants in several places in the United States. I have been demonstrating what can be done with water power right here at my own home. The River Rouge, which runs through my farm, close to my house, is not a very large stream and has but an eight-foot fall, but I am obtaining 200 horsepower the year around, which lights my house and operated all sorts of electrical conveniences and which is coupled up with the steam plant at the tractor plant, so that we are really making tractors now partly by water power.

HENRY FORD

For sure all of the individuals above were/are flawed individuals to some degree. However, the vision, mission, and purpose they all share, is unequivocally anchored in making the world a better place.?

And as George Bernard Shaw pointed out some time ago...

The reasonable man adapts himself to the world: the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.

How this prospective 'Electric City' was imagined is in part a tale of road trips amongst the great and the good back in the day, and has truly inspired me of late.?Inspired me to take my own road trip in a few weeks - an electric road trip of course - between FullyCharged.SHOW & Everything Electric Charged LIVE in San Diego & some sightseeing in San Francisco, home of today's incumbent game changer, Tesla 's Elon Musk.???

As to my vehicle of choice...

Arguably, the archetypal, quintessential, icon of American highways and byways, the 福特 's F-150 pick-up truck.

A close encounter of the Lightning type for me of course - hooked up from time to time if needs be with the Electrify America ?network of chargers as Mrs Electric Vehicles Outlook Ltd aka camera person and I take in all that the southern California coastal highway has to offer.?

Right from the get-go I've seen the Ford vehicle as the true game changer in flipping a US fixation with combustion to a similar inclination towards electric for hardcore petrol-heads. Like the USA itself - it's BIG and bundled full of intrigue...

For sure it's Tesla and Elon Musk that have catalysed?the rEVolution, but it seems to me that wheel is kind of turning full circle in how the great grandson of Henry Ford, William Clay Ford Jnr, and his CEO Jim Farley are inexorably looking to truly re-invent the company.

If we could talk to both Henry & Thomas about that today, I'm certain their comment would undoubtedly be...

What took you so long!

As for Elon, I'd love to invite him to join me on my final stop, in Calgary Canada, at Energy Disruptors . Perhaps we could talk about that Alabama?dream from long ago, how we make up for lost time, and how we might all join forces in?accelerating the world's transition to sustainable energy....so if you're reading this Mr Musk - please get in touch!?

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#innovation #energy #electricvehicles