LongHardRoad:TheLithium-IonBatteryandtheElectricCarprovidesaninsidelookatthebirthofthelithium-ionbattery,fromitsoriginsinacademiclabsaroundtheworldtoitstransitiontoitsnewroleasthefutureofautomotivepower.Itchroniclesthepiece-by-piecedevelopmentofthebattery,fromitsearlyyearswhenitwasmetbyindifferencefromindustrytoitslateremergenceinJapanwhereitservedincamcorders,laptops,andcellphones.ThebookisthefirsttoprovideaglimpseinsidetheJapanesecorporateculturethatturnedthelithium-ionchemistryintoacommercialproduct.Itshowstheintenseracebetweentwocompanies,AsahiChemicalandSonyCorporation,todevelopasuitableanode.Italsoexplains,forthefirsttime,whyoneJapanesemanufacturerhadtobuilditsfirstpreproductioncellsinaconvertedtruckgarageinBoston,Massachusetts.Buildingonthathistory,LongHardRoadthentakesreadersinsidetheautoindustrytoshowhowlithium-ionsolvedtheproblemsofearlierbatterychemistriesandtransformedtheelectriccarintoaviablecompetitor.StartingwiththeHenryFordandThomasEdisonelectriccarof1914,itchroniclesalonglistofautomotivefailures,thenshowshowasmallCaliforniacarconvertercalledACPropulsionlaidthefoundationforarevolutionbypackingitscarwiththousandsoftinylithium-ioncells.ThebookthentakesreadersinsidethecorporateboardroomsofDetroittoshowhowmainstreamautomakersfinallydecidedtoadoptlithium-ion.LongHardRoadisuniqueinitstellingofthelithium-iontale,revealingthatthebatterychemistrywasnottheproductofasingleinventor,northedreamofjustthreeNobelPrizewinners,butratherwastheculminationofdozensofscientificbreakthroughsfrommanyinventorswhoseworkwasunitedtocreateaproductthatultimatelychangedtheworld.
