Decouple Battery Power
Sep 1, 2025
Henry Sanderson, a former journalist and author of 'Volt Rush,' dives into the rise of the global battery industry. He charts the evolution of battery technology from early experiments to today's critical role in clean energy. The discussion reveals how China emerged as a powerhouse in electric vehicles, driven by industrial policies and ethical dilemmas in cobalt mining. Sanderson also highlights the environmental impacts of nickel mining in Indonesia and the competition between lithium-ion and emerging sodium-ion technologies.
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Batteries As The Core Decarbonization Tool
- Batteries are a foundational enabling technology for decarbonization across transport, grids, homes, and businesses.
- Henry Sanderson argues batteries deserve equal attention to solar and wind because they solve intermittency and transport emissions.
Edison And Ford's Almost-EV
- Early electric cars briefly beat combustion vehicles in cities because they were quieter and cleaner.
- Henry Sanderson recounts Edison and Ford nearly building a mass-market EV before battery limits and the starter motor helped ICE dominate.
Consumer Electronics Spawned Battery Scale
- Consumer electronics demand drove lithium-ion manufacturing scale and cost declines.
- Sanderson traces how Chinese firms entered electronics supply chains and later leveraged that scale to enter EV batteries.
