How we built a less-explodey lithium battery and kickstarted the EV revolution

Sand, salt, iron, copper, oil and lithium — these foundational materials are literally what the modern world is built on. Without sand for glass, say goodbye to our fiber optic internet. No copper means no conductive wiring. And a world without lithium is a world without rechargeable batteries.  For the final installment of Hitting the Books for 2023, we're bringing you an excerpt from the fantastic Material World: The Six Raw Materials That Shape Modern Civilization by Ed Conway. A finalist for the Financial Times and Schroders Business Book of the Year award, Material World walks readers through the seismic impacts these six substances have had on human civilization throughout history, using a masterful mix of narrative storytelling and clear-eyed technical explanation. In the excerpt below, Conway discusses how the lithium ion battery technology that is currently powering the EV revolution came into existence.   Thanks very much for reading Hitting the Books this year, we'll be back with more of the best excerpts from new and upcoming technology titles in post-CES January, 2024!   Penguin Random House Excerpted from Material World: The Six Raw Materials That Shape Modern Civilization by Ed Conway. Published by Knopf. Copyright © 2023 by Ed Conway. All rights reserved. A Better Battery The first engineer to use lithium in a battery was none other than Thomas Edison. Having mastered the manufacture of concrete by focusing religiously on improving the recipe and... Continue reading at 'Engadget'

[ Engadget | 2023-12-24 15:30:10 UTC ]

Other news stories related to: "How we built a less-explodey lithium battery and kickstarted the EV revolution"


This climate change coloring book illustrates how we transition to clean energy

Color in the “subsidy pie” while you learn about how we can fund more solar and wind power! Most people recognize the urgent need for climate action—in a recent poll, around 70% of Americans said that they wanted the U.S. to take “aggressive” action—but fewer clearly understand what needs to... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2019-07-25 15:30:09 UTC ]
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Poet triumphs at Wales Book of the Year Awards

Cardiff-based poet Ailbhe Darcy has won the £4,000 Wales Book of the Year Award for her "striking" collection, Insistence (Bloodaxe Books).  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-06-20 03:52:13 UTC ]
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Uber CMO departs and brands storm Cannes: Monday Wake-Up Call

Welcome to Ad Age’s Wake-Up Call, our daily roundup of advertising, marketing, media and digital news. You can get an audio version of this briefing on your Alexa device; sign up here.   What people are talking about today: Just a month after its IPO, Uber’s COO Barney Harford and CMO Rebecca... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2019-06-10 10:26:30 UTC ]
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Nobel Foundation will award two literature prizes this year

Two authors will be awarded the Nobel Prize in literature this year to make up for the cancellation of last year's award, NPR reported Tuesday. The Nobel Foundation made the announcement Tuesday, following months of speculation over the fate of the annual prestigious literary prize. Last year's... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-03-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Nobel Prize in Literature to be awarded twice this year

The Nobel Prize in Literature will be awarded twice this year after the Swedish Academy postponed 2018’s event over a sexual assault scandal. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-03-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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After Changes, the Nobel Prize for Literature Returns

This fall the Nobel Prize for Literature will be awarded for both 2018 and 2019, after changes were made to how laureates are chosen in the wake of scandals that forced the literary prize to be cancelled in 2018. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-03-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Photographer in Nobel scandal jailed for rape

Photographer Jean-Claude Arnault,  the man at the centre of the sexual assault furore which has enveloped the Nobel Prize in Literature, has been convicted of rape in a Stockholm court, according to reports. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-10-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Haruki Murakami takes his name out of the running for alternative literature Nobel

This year there won’t be any Nobel Prize in literature, and Japanese author Haruki Murakami wants to make sure he’s not in the running for its alternate, for which he’d been named a finalist. Murakami said he doesn't want to be considered for the New Academy Prize, a Swedish literary award... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-09-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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More than 2 million U.S. middle and high school students have vaped marijuana, study finds

Japanese author Haruki Murakami has said said he doesn't want to be considered for the New Academy Prize, a Swedish literary award established as an alternative to the Nobel Prize for literature. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-09-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Nobel Prize winner Barry Marshall pens time travel adventure

Oneworld imprint Rock the Boat has acquired the UK rights to How to Win a Nobel Prize, a middle grade adventure for young scientists, by Nobel Prize winner Barry Marshall. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-07-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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More choice on privacy just means more chances to do what’s best for big tech | John Naughton

A study of how Facebook, Google and Microsoft have applied the EU’s new GDPR rules shows users are being manipulatedOne of the most influential books published in the last decade was Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth and Happiness by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein. In it, the... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2018-07-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Photographer at centre of Nobel Prize row charged with rape

Jean-Claude Arnault, the French photographer at the centre of the sexual assault allegations which have led to the postponement of this year’s Nobel Prize in Literature, has been charged with rape. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-06-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Nobel Prize for Literature's future depends on Academy 'restoring trust'

The Nobel Prize in Literature may not be awarded in 2019 unless trust is restored in the Swedish Academy that administers the prize, the Nobel Foundation’s executive director Lars Heikensten has said. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Swedish Academy postpones 2018 Nobel Prize in Literature

The Swedish Academy which awards the Nobel Prize in Literature has confirmed that it plans to postpone this year's award following the sexual assault scandal which has rocked the organisation and led to nearly half the 18-strong Academy resigning their posts. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-05-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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No Nobel Prize in Literature in 2018

Following a ballooning sexual harassment scandal that has engulfed the Swedish Academy for weeks, the Academy has pushed off awarding the 2018 prize until next year. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-05-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Scandal-rocked Nobel board won't award literature prize this year

The Swedish Academy says the Nobel Prize in literature will not be awarded this year following sex-abuse allegations and other issues within its ranks that have tarnished the body's reputation. The academy said Friday the 2018 prize will be given in 2019. The decision was made at a weekly meeting... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-05-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BMW electric car ad banned over misleading 'clean car' claims

Ruling by advertising watchdog could have knock on effect on other electric car advertisingThe car company BMW has been censured by the UK’s advertising watchdog for claiming an electric car equipped with a small petrol engine was “clean” and “zero emissions”, in a ruling that could have a... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-12-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ishiguro wins the Nobel Prize in Literature

Kazuo Ishiguro has won the 2017 Nobel Prize in Literature for his novels of "great emotional force". Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-10-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Princeton UP author in Nobel physics win

Princeton University Press has extended “hearty congratulations” to its author Kip S Thorne, who has been named one of the winners of the Nobel Prize in Physics for 2017. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-10-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bob Dylan finally to accept Nobel Prize for Literature this weekend

Bob Dylan will formally accept the Nobel Prize for Literature this weekend, following months of speculation over whether this would happen.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-03-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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