An easy-to-understand and engaging exploration of the battery's development across history that reveals current technological advances, celebrates the innovators who have led the charge forward, and shows how the electric battery represents the path to a low-carbon future.• Demystifies the electric battery, explains how modern technology has overcome its historic limitations, and presents how this seemingly ordinary technology will enable a new era of sustainability for future generations• Addresses a topic of growing interest among general readers as electric cars designed to be affordable to the middle class from major manufacturers such as Chevrolet and Nissan are joined by new options from upstart electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla• Written by an Institute for Energy and the Environment research team with the requisite knowledge of energy policy and of science, as well as communication skills, to research and present a compelling narrative on electric batteries past, present, and future