Topic: Electric Taxis

A parallel is drawn between the suppression of homeopathic medicine and the elimination of alternative energy technologies by the robber baron class. Early 20th-century innovations, such as New York's network of electric taxis and cars running on hemp or alcohol fuel, were systematically removed to favor the oil industry. Prohibition is suggested to have been a cover for eliminating alcohol as a viable fuel source.

The discussion explores the early history of electric vehicles, noting that they held a significant market share in the late 19th century. Corbett highlights that 28% of cars in the U.S. were electric at the turn of the 20th century and that London operated a fleet of electric taxis in 1897. The dominance of the gasoline engine is attributed to the 1901 Spindletop oil strike in Texas, which flooded the market with cheap petroleum.