Insane Mode : How Elon Musk's Tesla sparked an Electric Revolution to end the age of Oil.

Book Name : Insane Mode: How Elon Musk's Tesla sparked an Electric Revolution to end the age of Oil.

Author: Hamish McKenzie

Genre : Non-Fiction/Transportation

Book Post : 29

What is it about?: This a breezy, casual and a general account of  electric car maker Tesla's story. Right from its beginning, to the challenges it faced and how it overcame all the hurdles to establish its presence in an industry which is notorious for its extremely high barriers to entry, this book traces it all. 

How I came to read it : I randomly stumbled upon this book as I was casually checking out the books in the local library in downtown. EVs have always on my list to know more about so this seemed like a perfect introduction into the subject. 

   

Did I like it? : Its one of those books that you can finish reading quickly and it doesn't place too much demand on your mind. But that exactly makes it a breezy read. I read most of the book on my commute to work. Part 1 of the book starts off with the experience of the author and his father trying out a Tesla EV to check out how it feels. He then goes on to explain some of the issues or worries that people have with the concept of electric cars with range anxiety being one of them. Part 2 then shifts to Tesla's beginnings and how Elon Musk came into this industry. There is a lot of background on the work China was doing and continues to do in the area of EVs. Part 3 concludes with again a general outlook towards how Tesla survived when many of its competitors had written it off and also at the future of the EV industry and finally how the very competitors who had mocked Tesla had finally entered the EV market. 

Fun fact:

Of all the new American car companies started in the last 100 years only 2 have managed to survive in spite of the demanding challenges of the Auto industry : Chrysler and Tesla. 

10 things I learned from the book || The Battery : How portable power sparked a technological revolution

Book Post : 24

Book Name : The Battery : How portable power sparked a technological revolution

Author : Henry Schlesinger

Genre : Non-Fiction/Science

What is it about?: It is about the history of how batteries were developed over the years. From the twitching of a frog's leg to the the nickel hydrogen batteries in the Hubble space telescope the book traces the many observations, discoveries, inventions and break throughs that lead to the batteries that we see in everyday use today. 

How I came to read it : I like to casually browse books in a library and on one such visit I saw this book and given my background in energy I had to read it. 

   

Did I like it? :  Yes I did. It starts off nicely, becomes a tad bit bland in the middle but becomes interesting once again as the military uses of batteries section comes up. I learnt a lot of new facts and trivia about batteries and the equipment they power.  

Top 10 things I learned from this book: 

1. We all the know the 'Bazooka', the rocket launcher which can be fired from the shoulder. It forms a quintessential part of so many action movies. The original bazooka was ignited by two standard sized D cells on the stock though later models eliminated the batteries altogether. Fun fact: The name 'Bazooka' was given by soldiers, after a musical instrument played by a radio comic called Bob Burns. 

2. Its not perfectly clear who invented the Walkie Talkie and is credited to many inventors including the engineering team at Motorola. I will only mention the Canadian connection here. Donald Hings, working at the Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company in Vancouver is said to have the invented a portable 2 way radio in 1937. 

3. Duracell was originally called P R Mallory company and it started off by manufacturing Mercury cells. This was the first new battery chemistry in over a century(better than the carbon-zinc config used in the majority of applications then). This was in the 1920s.  Sam Ruben was the one who invented the Mercury Cells. 

4. There is a law called Faraday's Law of Electrolysis which states that in order to double the output of any battery, the amount of material in that battery must be doubled. The battery industry hit this wall many times and found ways around it. 

5. World's first electric watch was released in 1957 by a company called Hamilton(this company was eventually taken over by Swatch). This electric watch was called Hamilton 500 and was priced at $175(around $1,300 today). It had a $1.75 energizer battery which was not too reliable. Elvis Presley bought a Hamilton Electric watch and so did Rod Sterling, the host of Twilight Zone. Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones wore Hamilton Electrics in the 'Men in Black' movies. 

6. Sonotone Corporation, a manufacturer of hearing aids became the first company in 1952 to offer a consumer product using transistors. Transistors were mostly used in military applications till then. AT&T provided the license to Sonotone for the use of transistors. Interestingly the license provided to Sonotone was royalty free in observance of Alexander Graham Bell's devotion to the deaf. AT&T was established by Bell and his father in law. 

7. TR-55, a transistorized radio model was released by a then young 10 year old company called the Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Company. TR-55 was only available in Japan. The company wanted to release its next model TR-63 in the US too. For the exports the company changed its name to something that Americans can easily pronounce: Sony. TR-63 was a huge hit which ultimately popularized the pocket radios.  

8. This one is more of a fun fact. Its common that technical advances attract conspiracy theories. We are living in the age of misinformation so we are pretty used to this but the world was not short of conspiracies in the 50s too. One of these theories said that transistors were a product of reverse engineering alien technology salvaged from a crashed alien spaceship.

9.  In 1973, Sharp released a pocket calculator called Elsi Mate EL-805. It housed 5 Integrated Circuits and was less than an inch thick. It could run for 100 hours on a single AA battery. This power consumption was 1/9000 of other battery powered calculators on the market. This was chiefly because this calculator used LCD(Liquid Crystal Displays) for the first time ever. This was a big turning point. 

10. The Hubble Space Telescope, launched in 1990, had six 125 pound rechargeable nickel hydrogen batteries. Scientists and engineers at that time estimated their life expectancy to be around 5 years. They lasted for 19 years!   

Book Post : Simply Electrifying : The Technology that transformed the world, from Benjamin Franklin to Elon Musk

Book Post : 21 

Book Name : Simply Electrifying : The Technology that transformed the world, from Benjamin Franklin to Elon Musk

Author : Craig R. Roach

Genre : Non-Fiction/Science

What is it about? : This book traces the journey of electricity from its earliest days when it was nothing but a curiosity to the present when we cant even think about living without electricity. The book is neatly divided into 5 major phases of electricity's journey. 

Part 1: The Age of Franklin : A Time of Awe and Discovery

Part 2: The Age of Edison: Let there be light (and power)

Part 3: The Age of Big: Big Government, Big Power Plants

Part 4: The Age of Harm: Crisis, Change, and Scandal

Part 5: The Age of uncompromising belief  

How I came to read it : When I moved to Kelowna one of the first things I did was check out the local library branch. Kelowna has the Okanagan Regional Library and while casually browsing through the books I spotted this book. I have been reading a lot of books on electricity lately and this seemed to be a good addition. 

   

Did I like it? : Yes I did. The book starts off nicely with Benjamin Franklin and James Watt, peaks with Michael Faraday, Maxwell, Tesla, Edison, Westinghouse, slowly starts to decline with Samuel Insull and gets a bit boring in the middle when talk moves to government, depression and policies. It ends on a high with George Mitchell and Elon Musk.  Overall what I loved about the book is how neatly the author has divided the different phases of electricity's journey. There is discovery, expansion, exploitation and finally a hope for a cleaner future. 

During the early years its mostly about how electricity was noticed and how curious minds like Ben Franklin set about investigating it. The author makes an interesting point here. Today we might know Benjamin Franklin as one of the founding fathers of USA and the general image is that his work on science was secondary. But the author says that he was a scientist first. His success, fame and respect he enjoyed both in America and Europe gave him the leverage to become a great statesman. The book is littered with interesting insights like these on many personalities and ideas. After, Franklin comes James Watt whos invention of the steam engine made the people dependent on machines and this set the stage for the development of the electricity run motors and the whole electricity infrastructure laid out by Edison, Tesla and Westinghouse. These days whenever discussions about inventors related to electricity come up people are quick to mention Edison vs Tesla. But there was a third person in this saga who seems to be forgotten in the general public. This was George Westinghouse. A famous inventor in his own right, his invention of the air brake changed the railways forever. After his success in the railway industry he turned his focus to the nascent electricity industry.  A brilliant entrepreneur in addition to being an inventor, Westinghouse took the path of developing the Alternating Current (AC) system. The war of the currents, AC vs DC was mostly Westinghouse (AC) vs Edison(DC). It was Westinghouse who recognized the talent of Tesla and employed him in his company. I feel its a shame that Westinghouse is largely forgotten today.

Next comes one of the most divisive personalities of the book Samuel Insull. Insull like Westinghouse remains largely forgotten today but he is the person responsible for spreading electricity across the country and made it accessible to a majority of the population. He is also responsible for the tariff structure of electricity later. Both sides of his story are presented here and the trial details of Insull make for interesting reading. Then comes Franklin D Roosevelt and his New Deal. Then there is talk of the time of big projects like building of Hoover Dam and Tennessee Valley Authority. The age of Harm stars off with talking about the person 'who started it all' Rachel Carson and her landmark book 'Silent Spring'. Then a large portion is dedicated to the California electricity crisis of 2003. A major portion of the book talks about deregulating of the electricity business. It was one of the most boldest moves in business and there are still debates about it going on even today. And the last part is about Obama, George Mitchell and Elon Musk. Leaving aside the criticism of Musk the author makes the point that at least he is making electricity and the science related to it cool again. 

One of the points I loved was that that electricity is a revolutionary force. The author says that during the early stages of electricity's development there was a sense of scientific adventure and excitement which seems have dwindled down recently. No longer do people associate electricity with scientific achievement or discovery. And this is so true. When I look at electricity related news its all about policies, regulations, prices etc, all important stuff undoubtedly but pretty mundane. There is no sense of scientific excitement, if I can use that term. Hopefully things change in the future!

Overall 'Simply Electrifying' is a pretty decent read and I enjoyed it!

Book Post 19: Coal by Mark C. Thurber

 Book Name : Coal 

Author : Mark C. Thurber

Genre : Non-Fiction

 

What is it about? : As the title of the book makes it amply clear this book is about Coal. Whether we like it or not the fact remains that over 1/3rd of electricity generation in the world is still generated from Coal. This book tries to answer some of the questions related to coal. Almost 200 years after we started using Coal on a mass scale why are we still dependent on it? What are the political conflicts and dynamics on the national and International level that influence the policies affecting coal. And most importantly for us what would it take for other energy sources to push out coal from the market.  

How I came to read it : This has an interesting background. During my Masters in UBC last year, one of the Departments invited this author Mark C. Thurber for a talk about his then latest book 'Coal'. I attended the talk and at the end the organizers were giving away Author signed copies. I got one from Mark himself. I had a little chat with him then took a selfie with him as well. This was my second author signed copy and the first time I met the author themselves. 

   

Did I like it?

Yes I did. Coal is a concise and to the point book. It does not deviate from the topic at hand. 

In the first chapter itself the author reveals some startling facts. For example, sample this. From 2000 to 2013 China made massive strides in manufacturing sector and boosted its per capita sevenfold. This was made possible in part by threefold increase in coal production and consumption. At present China consumes more coal than the rest of the world combined. This shows coals popularity. It is cheap and has wide geographical distribution. The competition between fuels is shaped by three main factors: resource depletion, technological change and policy. And coal still edges out other fuels in these three factors in many regions around the world. But things are changing albeit slowly. The author then reviews the PET factors: Political, Economic and Technological that have shaped coal's past and will shape its future. 

The author then outlines the History of coal usage and how it came to be so heavily used and brought us to where we are today. It was the vehicle to our prosperity at present. The book offers many thought provoking insights too many to list here. The rest of the book talks about the coal supply chain and the dynamics associated with it, the environmental groups fighting the use of coal and the strategies and tactics they use to put pressure on coal users, the alternatives associated with coal, their strengths and weaknesses and finally the last chapter details the Policies, Technology and the future of coal. 

The author provides a neutral narrative to the whole topic. Not swaying to any one viewpoint he provides a nuanced and insightful account of why coal was popular, why it is still in use and what is its future. To me it seemed like the kind of book to read if you are to follow the adage 'Know your Enemy'. Know Coal with this book and find out everything about it. Learn what makes coal what it is and try to know how the insights can be used to help other fuels to grow. Overall an excellent book. Totally worth rereading again and again.  

 

Book Post 18 : The Third Industrial Revolution by Jeremy Rifkin

Book Name : The Third Industrial Revolution: How Lateral Power is transforming Energy, The Economy and the World.

Author : Jeremy Rifkin

Genre : Non-Fiction

 
What is it about? : The book outlines the concept that the present Energy regime is outdated and that the World needs a Third Industrial Revolution which will be lead by the Mix of Renewable Energy and Internet Technologies.  

How I came to read it :  It was listed as one of the best books to read about our Energy Future. So I got it from UBC (University of British Columbia) library with the help of a friend.  

Did I like it? 

Not much. Though the book presents some brilliant concepts and a vision of the future, the whole of the book could have been condensed into a shorter read. It drifts away from the main topic quite a lot and add to that the boastful tone of the author only made it irritating at some points. Twice I thought I should stop reading but I completed it anyway. And I am glad I did. The overall concept of the book is good. It presents a model of planning and how things should be done as we move into a climate emergency affected world. A lot of jurisdictions have already adopted the The Third Industrial Revolution model outlined in the book. The model has 5 main pillars, the adoption of which, the author says will revolutionize our lives. 

Two main points stick out. One is the combination of Internet technologies and Energy. He says whenever a communication regime combines with a energy source, revolutions happen. Both the previous revolutions are good examples of this. Second is the change in way of doing things. From the traditional top down structure to lateral. More emphasis on collaboration and group work than on single individual work. 

Overall an okay read. Though a simple essay could have captured all the ideas presented instead of a narrative that meanders its way through this book. 

But the biggest bonus for me was the section of Thermodynamics. The below lines are the best part. 

''Albert Einstein once pondered the question of which laws of science were the least likely to be overthrown or seriously modified by future generations of scientists. He concluded that the first and second laws of Thermodynamics were most likely to withstand the test of time. 

He wrote:
A theory is more impressive the greater is the simplicity of its premises, the more different are the kinds of things it relates and the more extended its range of applicability. Therefore, the deep impression which classical thermodynamics made on me. It is the only physical theory of universal content which I am convinced, that within the framework of applicability of its basic concepts, will never be overthrown.''

Book Post 13 : Private Empire by Steve Coll

Book Name : Private Empire ExxonMobil and American Power 

Author : Steve Coll

Genre : Non-Fiction

What is it about? : About the workings of one of the World's largest companies 'ExxonMobil'.

How I came to read it :  I picked up this book on recommendation of a friend Suyog Likhite. With a view towards increasing my outlook about the Energy Scenario in the world I thought this would be a good read.

Did I like it? 

It got a bit tedious at times but it was an eyeopener. We get to know the inner workings of companies like ExxonMobil and what drives them.  Exxonmobil, an Oil and Gas Multinational is one of the largest companies in the world by revenue. Its numbers are simply mind boggling. It has revenues of around 200 Billion and produces around 2.3 Million Barrels of oil per day!

But the most fascinating part for me was the revelation that Exxonmobil did a systematic lobbying for climate change denial for a long time. Only in 2014 did it publicly acknowledge that climate change is a risk.

Extremely detailed and some eye popping numbers make this book a must read for understanding how the Oil and Gas industries work and what makes the world so dependent on them.