Bottled Lightning

[mbutter]

Just read "Bottled Lightning - Superbatteries, Electric Cars, and the New Lithium Economy" by Seth Fletcher, after hearing about the book in our local newspaper.

Very fascinating reading about the history, science, research, influential individuals and businesses, politics, raw materials, and the future of the lithium battery, and it's role in the 'current' (no pun intended... at first...) electric car renaissance.

If you enjoyed 'Who Killed the Electric Car', I think you will also enjoy the book. BL does have a few references to WKEC. BL also helps me further understand some of the issues raised in WKEC.

While, I did see the book mentioned in other threads, I thought it would be worth having a specific discussion thread.

 

[ERG4ALL]

I just finished it about 15 minutes ago. Once I started, I couldn't put it down.

 

[PhatBoyG]

Added to Kindle, will read it later tonight.

 

[GaslessInSeattle]

Just loaded it to the iPad!

 

[PhatBoyG]

Just loaded it to the iPad!

Well, I loaded it to the Kindle App on the iPad - best of both worlds.

 

[walterbays]

Well, I loaded it to the Kindle App on the iPad - best of both worlds.

Kindle, iPad, Android, Blackberry, etc. - all devices made possible by the battery technology discussed in the book. Myself, I like to pick up whichever device is handy and read from where I left off on some other device.

I hadn't realized the major contributions made by Exxon. Acclaim goes not just to the scientists like Michael Whittingham, but to executives like George Piercy. Piercy led the delegation from the major oil companies to the Arab oil producing countries in 1973, where Sheikh Yamani effectively laid down the new conditions of power in the world at the beginning of the Oil Embargo. He could see what this meant for his country and for his company, and led Exxon towards becoming an Energy company rather than just an Oil company.

Sadly OPEC was able to dismantle Exxon's research program along with all the other such government and private efforts by flooding the market with cheap oil, moving to a strategy of ratcheting up the price just slowly enough that the industrialized countries do not make any serious attempt at energy independence. But Exxon's research was an invaluable starting point for later researchers.

It's a fascinating book... and I'm only up to page 44. By the way, plug it into the AUX port in your Leaf and Kindle will read the book to you.

 

[GaslessInSeattle]

"ratcheting up the price just slowly enough that the industrialized countries do not make any serious attempt at energy independence"

Doesn't that just about sum it up! For me, going from the price of driving gas today to running an EV on electricity reveals a gap in cost that is so wide that it must represents many years of careful, strategic increases in gas prices, allowing the cost of driving ICE to surpass the cost of driving electric many years ago without hardly anyone noticing. So much for supply and demand and the free market "regulating" itself!
g

 

[Luft]

moving to a strategy of ratcheting up the price just slowly enough that the industrialized countries do not make any serious attempt at energy independence.

Yep, that strategy is called "cooking frogs."

If you turn the heat up too fast the frogs will jump out of the pot but if you increase the heat slow enough the frogs won't jump out. They'll just sit there unaware of what is happening to them. :evil:

 

[Coffee_Slurry]

If you turn the heat up too fast the frogs will jump out of the pot but if you increase the heat slow enough the frogs won't jump out. They'll just sit there unaware of what is happening to them. :evil:

Not really.
http://www.snopes.com/critters/wild/frogboil.asp
but it's such a common metaphor people seem to just believe it.

 

[Luft]

I don't have a clue if it is true or not. I just know that's what the strategy is called. Kind of disgusting that someone would actually try it.

If you turn the heat up too fast the frogs will jump out of the pot but if you increase the heat slow enough the frogs won't jump out. They'll just sit there unaware of what is happening to them. :evil:

Not really.
http://www.snopes.com/critters/wild/frogboil.asp
but it's such a common metaphor people seem to just believe it.