Dispels any myths regarding the “shortage” of lithium. ( )

Excellent. The author is a science reporter and this book is both an easy read and also informative and well researched (it was recommended to me by an academic, a Fellow of the Royal Society which says it all really). It covers the history of Lithium cells and puts flesh on the dry bones of Lithium supply. A nice choice of title too!

Reportage, much of it on batteries and lithium. Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf are Fletcher's main examples of electric cars. He of course cites air pollution and carbon emissions as reasons for lessening the prevalence of the infernal combustion engine but, all too typically, he leaves noise pollution virtually unmentioned. (Lack of attention to and consciousness of noise pollution pervades society generally.)

This is a detailed history of the lithium-oim batteery developmemt and on-going refinement. There are no photos or illustrations. There are no first-person accounts of using any of the batteries, only a few interviews with the developers about the testing, designing and manufacturing phase of making a product.

There is a a little background on early car batteries from around 1900 to 1915, and again about the GM EV1. But there is nothing at all on hybrid autos, especially nothing at all on nickel-metal hydride batteries that power most high milage autos today.

The focus of the book is lithium batteries and ristricts topics directly addressing that battery, or tries to. However the author does stray in the end to sulphur and silicon.

For a history of the lithium electrode in batteries, this is a good reference. ( )