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Babbage from The Economist

Babbage: How to avoid a battery shortage

Babbage from The Economist

The Economist

Science And Technology, News, News & Politics, Tech News

4.8807 Ratings

🗓️ 25 October 2023

⏱️ 47 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In the coming decades, electric vehicles will dominate the roads and renewables will provide energy to homes. But for the green transition to be successful, unprecedented amounts of energy storage is needed. Batteries will be used everywhere—from powering electric vehicles, to providing electricity when the sun doesn’t shine or the wind doesn’t blow. The current generation of batteries are lacking in capacity and are too reliant on rare metals, though. Many analysts worry about material shortages. How can technology help? 


Host: Alok Jha, The Economist’s science and technology editor. Contributors: Paul Markillie, our innovation editor; Matthieu Favas, our finance correspondent; Anjani Trivedi, our global business correspondent. 


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Transcript

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0:00.0

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0:07.6

making it easier for you to invest for the future you want, whatever that looks like.

0:12.1

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0:17.0

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0:23.2

Just get started and let the professionals do the rest.

0:26.6

My future, my way, my map.

0:29.7

Ready when you are.

0:30.9

Index to Futsi Russell.

0:32.4

Capital at risk.

0:33.3

The value of investments and the income from them can fall as well as rise and are not guaranteed.

0:38.0

Investors may not get back the amount originally invested.

0:41.1

Diversification and asset allocation may not fully protect you from market risk.

0:47.2

This episode of Babbage is supported by IDA Island.

0:50.3

With the highest share of STEM graduates per capita in the EU,

0:53.9

IDA Island can help source

0:55.4

the skills you need to internationalise and thrive. Visit IDAIERland.com to learn more.

1:05.0

The Economist.

1:10.6

A quick announcement before we get started with today's episode.

1:13.6

Economist Podcast Plus, our new subscriber service, is here. Whether you're one of the thousands of people who've signed up in the past weeks or you're a long-time subscriber, you'll need to link your podcast app to your Economist subscription to listen to everything we have on offer.

1:29.7

We'll have more details on how to set up your account later in the show.

1:34.2

If you're not yet a subscriber, don't panic.

1:37.4

You've got until the end of October to get our half-price offer.

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