March 28, 2015

Book Review: The Powerhouse

Arguably no existing technology holds more potential to slow climate change and reboot the economy than the lithium-ion battery.


The Powerhouse

By Steve LeVine

VIKING

Arguably no existing technology holds more potential to slow climate change and reboot the economy than the lithium-ion battery. Quartz reporter Steve LeVine chronicles the global race to develop a battery cheap and durable enough to supplant the internal-combustion engine. The field is littered with hype and people left in the dust—including LeVine, whose book, in its slow march to press, didn’t get to the solid-state battery technology that’s now at the cutting edge. Even so, he offers a revealing deep dive into the challenges of creating a killer app for the planet.

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Managing an independent, nonprofit newsroom is staggeringly hard. There’s no cushion in our budget—no backup revenue, no corporate safety net. We can’t afford to fall short, and we can’t rely on corporations or deep-pocketed interests to fund the fierce, investigative journalism Mother Jones exists to do.

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