VoltsDavid RobertsAll episodes
Building our piece of the electric stack
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Collectively, the electric stack (batteries, motors, chips, power electronics) has gotten about 99% cheaper since 1990. It is quietly remaking every machine that turns electricity into motion, heat, or work. Problem is, China makes most of it. Sam D’Amico, co-author of “The Electric Slide” and founder of Impulse Labs, is betting the US can still claim a piece of that stack. He’s starting with a battery-powered induction cooktop. We talk about why domestic manufacturing matters, what America would actually have to build to compete, and how Silicon Valley’s founder world really thinks about climate change, geoengineering included.
Chapters:
00:00 – Introduction
02:52 – From VR headsets to kitchen appliances
07:07 – How a pizza oven inspired a battery stove
10:07 – Peak demand, at home and on the grid
13:25 – Which appliances could use a built-in battery
16:46 – Electric stack 1: the four technologies
20:28 – Electric stack 2: power electronics and motors
25:21 – China bets on hardware, the US bets on AI
30:08 – Why not just buy it all from China?
33:51 – Why engineers need to be near the factory
38:39 – How much does the US need to make at home?
45:19 – US EV policy and letting Chinese cars in
47:49 – Batteries in appliances vs. one home battery
52:04 – Impulse’s plan: its tech in other brands’ stoves
55:17 – What’s next after the stove
57:14 – Has Silicon Valley stopped caring about climate?
