Technology and Culture
"Provides an insightful understanding of the rarely considered consequences of electric-vehicle policies. . . [and] great value by debunking a host of commonly held beliefs about the battery technology that a clean energy future requires."
Literary Review of Canada
"[A] careful and scrupulously referenced historical account of an important object: where [the battery] came from, its evolving influences on society, and where it might be taking us. . . . No one who thinks seriously about our energy future should neglect either Turner’s warnings or his hopes."
Environmental History
"The book provides readers with a valuable history of battery technology, the interdependency of batteries and the environment, and the challenge (and perhaps impossibility) of just energy transition policies."
From the Publisher
[A] careful and scrupulously referenced historical account of an important object: where [the battery] came from, its evolving influences on society, and where it might be taking us. . . . No one who thinks seriously about our energy future should neglect either Turner's warnings or his hopes.
-- "Literary Review of Canada"
An eminently readable, elegantly precise treatise on the topic of batteries.
-- "Science"
An enjoyable and accessible book...Many readers may be susceptible to the trap of wide-eyed idealism in terms of environmental activism and the 'clean energy future' Turner discusses in this book. He strikes a great balance between optimism and pessimism on that front; he puts a lot of things into historical and highly realistic perspective. In doing so, he provides a roadmap for people who actually want to achieve a clean energy future, pointing to the pitfalls previous engineers fell into or carved themselves, and advising how to learn from those mistakes and forge ahead.
-- "H-Environment (H-Net)"
Engrossing and sobering, Charged is essential reading for anyone concerned about environment, energy, and the sustainable future.
-- "H-Sci-Med-Tech (H-Net)"
The book provides readers with a valuable history of battery technology, the interdependency of batteries and the environment, and the challenge (and perhaps impossibility) of just energy transition policies.
-- "Environmental History"
Science
An eminently readable, elegantly precise treatise on the topic of batteries.
H-Net Reviews
An enjoyable and accessible book...Many readers may be susceptible to the trap of wide-eyed idealism in terms of environmental activism and the “clean energy future” Turner discusses in this book. He strikes a great balance between optimism and pessimism on that front; he puts a lot of things into historical and highly realistic perspective. In doing so, he provides a roadmap for people who actually want to achieve a clean energy future, pointing to the pitfalls previous engineers fell into or carved themselves, and advising how to learn from those mistakes and forge ahead.
