Volt Rush: The Winners and Losers in the Race to Go Green

"The writing is remarkably accessible, engaging readers with vivid storytelling. Drawing a parallel between the ‘volt’ rush and the ‘gold’ rush, Henry evokes a sense of wonder, making the narrative deeply resonant. Henry Sanderson has consistently showcased prowess in commodities journalism. As he delved deeper into the battery industry, his focus appeared to naturally gravitate there. The book offers a holistic view of the battery world, with the environmental considerations particularly well-articulated. He looks at how Chinese (and other) entrepreneurs in this industry, including Wang Xiaoshen and Robin Zeng, managed to establish their position in the market with their companies, what obstacles and challenges they faced, and how quickly they managed to scale their operations. There’s also a very interesting chapter about the lithium industry in the UK, about how it has a chance to develop in Cornwall. None of the books I chose focus on Tesla, and neither does mine. For anyone who wants to find out more about Elon Musk, there is already extensive media coverage as well as biographies dedicated to him. In the Western narrative, Tesla played a pivotal role. As I highlight in my book, Elon Musk transformed electric cars into objects of desire. They became stylish and cool. Others had tried that before, but none had succeeded. Elon Musk’s magic touch rendered Tesla akin to the iPhone—a product nearly everyone aspires to own. That’s a big achievement. Also, his ability to ramp up production from a few thousand units a few years ago to becoming one of the dominant forces in the automotive industry today is truly impressive."