Members!
I hope you’ve had a good week. We’ve been going deep on the world of batteries, a technology essential to a clean-energy future. This week’s field guide, by Quartz reporter Akshat Rathi, has been as comprehensive as it’s been compelling. It includes:
- A state of play memo that outlines in clarity and detail the shape of the battery landscape
- A first-ever look by a Western news organization inside China’s CATL, the world’s largest battery manufacturer, along with a photo essay of its massive factory and the city around it
- A Q&A with MIT material-sciences professor Yet-Ming Chiang, who has started six companies, three of which are focused on batteries
- An interactive periodic chart of battery elements, to help us better understand the technologies underlying this necessary energy source
- A toolkit of resources to stay on top of the race to battery supremacy
- Our coverage extends into next week as well: Stay tuned for a look at what the next generation of batteries will look like, as well as questions from readers
Akshat and I will talk all about batteries on our weekly members conference call today. The 30-minute discussion will start here at 11 am ET/4 pm GMT. Click here to add it to your Google Calendar. If you want to join us by phone, the US dial-in is +1 888 240 2560, and the UK dial-in is +44 203 608 5256; for both numbers, the meeting code is 722 994 440.
Next week, we’ll have a field guide on the recent (and forthcoming) spate of IPOs: From Uber to Lyft to Airbnb and others, what do you need to know about the latest round of unicorns as they go public?
Also: Next week marks the beginning of our new members-only video series “Because China.” The world’s newest superpower is reshaping global tourism, education, technology, and more. We travel around the world to find stories showing China’s influence in action—from building the biggest infrastructure projects in history to reshaping the economy of trash—along with all of its opportunities, tensions, innovations, and dangers.
We want to hear from you! Please send comments, questions, and Metallica’s “Battery” to members@qz.com.
Here’s to a rewarding day,
Sam Grobart
membership editor