The Dead Horse Theory: Why Some Refuse to Accept Reality
There’s an old saying: “When you discover you’re riding a dead horse, the best course of action is to dismount.”
Simple, right? Yet in practice, people, companies, and governments often do the exact opposite. Instead of admitting failure, they:
- Buy a new saddle → Try minor improvements to delay the inevitable.
- Change the rider → Blame leadership instead of the flawed system.
- Justify their actions → Argue that other people are also riding dead horses.
- Redefine ‘dead’ → Convince themselves the horse is still useful.
- Form committees → Waste time analyzing why the horse isn’t moving.
This metaphor perfectly describes how many industries resist change, even when the evidence is overwhelming. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the energy and transportation sectors, where fossil fuels and internal combustion engines (ICEs) are the ultimate dead horses.
Instead of embracing clean energy and EVs, some governments and companies waste billions trying to prolong the life of outdated, inefficient technologies. But the world’s most forward-thinking nations—China, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Uruguay, and Costa Rica—have already dismounted and moved on.
Let’s examine who’s still clinging to the past, and who’s actually leading the way.
Dead Horses in the Energy and Transportation Sectors
🚘 Fossil Fuel-Powered Cars: The ICE Age is Over
The internal combustion engine (ICE) has had a good run, but its time is up. EVs are more efficient, cheaper to maintain, and cleaner, yet many automakers and governments refuse to let go. Instead, they:
✅ Invest billions in hybrid technology instead of fully committing to EVs.
✅ Lobby against stronger emissions regulations to prolong ICE vehicle sales.
✅ Promote hydrogen fuel cell cars—an expensive and inefficient distraction.
Meanwhile, the facts are undeniable:
- China is leading the charge, with 48% of total vehicle sales in 2024 being NEVs (New Energy Vehicles, including BEVs and PHEVs).
- Norway has practically eliminated ICE sales, with 92% of new cars being EVs in 2024.
- Denmark and Sweden are rapidly phasing out gasoline cars, driven by strong policies and incentives.
Those who delay EV adoption aren’t “transitioning”—they’re clinging to a dead industry.
⚡ Fossil Fuels & the Illusion of ‘Clean Coal’
Coal and gas power plants are no longer economically viable, yet some governments continue burning money to keep them alive. Here’s how they try to justify it:
✅ Carbon Capture (CCS) – The equivalent of buying a new saddle for the dead horse, a costly and ineffective band-aid.
✅ Gas as a ‘transition fuel’ – The delusion that gas will bridge to renewables, despite wind and solar already being cheaper.
✅ Nuclear’s endless delays – SMRs and fusion always being “10 years away” while renewables deliver now.
Reality check:
- China installed 357 GW of wind and solar in 2024, exceeding its 2030 targets six years early.
- Denmark generated 48% of its electricity from wind energy in 2024.
- Sweden is shutting down its last coal plants, fully committing to clean energy.
- Uruguay has transformed its energy sector, with 98% of its electricity coming from renewable sources.
- Costa Rica consistently achieves over 98% renewable electricity generation, utilizing hydro, wind, and solar energy.
If your country is still throwing money at coal and gas, you’re riding a dead horse.
🔋 Grid Resistance to Decentralized Energy
Legacy utilities fear distributed solar and battery storage, so they fight back by:
✅ Blocking rooftop solar expansion with fees and red tape.
✅ Slowing down battery adoption by preventing V2G (Vehicle-to-Grid) technology.
✅ Overbuilding fossil-fuel-powered peaker plants instead of using battery storage.
Meanwhile, the smart grid pioneers are moving in the opposite direction:
- China is leading in grid-scale battery deployment, eliminating the need for fossil peaker plants.
- Norway is integrating V2G, using parked EVs as grid storage.
- Sweden and Denmark are fully embracing decentralized energy models.
- Uruguay’s energy transition includes significant investments in wind and solar power, enhancing grid resilience and sustainability.
- Costa Rica’s commitment to renewable energy has led to the development of robust infrastructure to support its clean energy goals.
The fossil grid is the dead horse, and utilities need to embrace decentralization instead of fighting it.
Who Has Dismounted? The Future-Ready Leaders
🇨🇳 China: Betting Big on Batteries and EVs
- 48% of total vehicle sales in 2024 were NEVs.
- 80% of the world’s battery production happens in China.
- China’s renewables deployment dwarfs fossil fuels, with 230 GW of solar installed in 2023 alone.
🇳🇴 Norway: ICE Cars Are Practically Extinct
- 92% of new cars sold in 2024 are EVs, with a full ICE ban incoming.
- Norway’s energy grid is 98% renewable, mostly from hydropower.
🇩🇰 Denmark & 🇸🇪 Sweden: The Grid Revolution
- Denmark generated 48% of its electricity from wind in 2024.
- Sweden is using grid batteries instead of peaker plants for reliability.
- Both nations are ahead in V2G technology, allowing EVs to power homes and the grid.
🇺🇾 Uruguay: A Renewable Energy Pioneer
- 98% of Uruguay’s electricity comes from renewable sources.
- EV sales grew from 3.14% in 2023 to 8.9% in 2024.
- Public transport is shifting electric, with electric buses becoming more common in Montevideo.
🇨🇷 Costa Rica: A Model for Sustainable Energy
- 98% renewable electricity generation, utilizing hydro, geothermal, wind, and solar power.
- Electric taxis and expanding EV incentives are helping to reduce emissions.
Conclusion: Stop Feeding the Dead Horse, Start Embracing the Future
🚫 Fossil fuels are uncompetitive.
🚫 ICE vehicles are on borrowed time.
🚫 The centralized energy model is outdated.
✅ EVs are already cheaper to own than gas cars.
✅ Renewables are the lowest-cost energy source in history.
✅ Batteries and V2G will replace fossil-based peaker plants entirely.
What Can You Do?
- Demand your government phase out fossil fuel subsidies.
- Support EV tax credits and rooftop solar incentives.
- Divest from fossil fuel-linked funds.
The future isn’t waiting—it’s already here.
Join the winners. Dismount now.
