Volt Rush: How China Won the Battery Race

Behind every electric car sits a far older and more complex story. A story about minerals, mining, geopolitics and a global race to control the materials that power the energy transition.In this episode, Fiona Howarth sits down with Henry Sanderson, Financial Times journalist and author of Volt Rush, to explore the hidden history of electric vehicles and the critical minerals that make them possible.From the early experiments of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford, to the rise of lithium-ion batteries and China’s dominance of global battery supply chains, Henry unpacks how electric vehicles became viable and why the competition for minerals like lithium, cobalt and nickel is now shaping global politics.The conversation explores how China built its battery industry, why Western countries are scrambling to catch up, and why the clean energy transition still depends heavily on mining, metals and industrial supply chains.If the world is electrifying everything, the real question becomes this: who controls the materials that make electrification possible?In this episode you’ll learn:The surprising early history of electric cars and why they nearly won the race against gasoline vehicles over a century agoHow lithium-ion batteries unlocked the modern EV revolutionWhy minerals like lithium, cobalt, nickel and graphite are essential to the clean energy transitionHow China built dominance across the global battery supply chainWhy Western countries struggle to finance new mining projectsHow geopolitics, trade policy and subsidies are reshaping the EV industryThe tension between sustainable mining and the massive demand for critical mineralsWhat the next generation of battery technology and energy storage could look likeResources & LinksHenry Sanderson – Volt Rush: The Winners and Losers in the Race to Go Green🎟️ Join Earth Set LiveWe host monthly live events in London featuring founders, investors and policy leaders shaping the transition to a resilient, regenerative economy.First Tuesday of every month.Grab tickets here:👉 earthset.coIf you enjoyed this episodePlease take a moment to:Leave 5 starsWrite a quick reviewShare the episode with someone interested in clean energy, geopolitics or the future of electric vehiclesIt helps more people discover the show.Thanks for listening — see you at the next live event or in your feed soon.