Bill Howard brings more than five decades of hands-on experience to the history of battery development, starting at Gould National Batteries in the 1960s and finishing with Medtronic in the 2010s. Bill walks us through multiple battery chemistries from Leclanché cells, to Li/MnO2 cells, to LTO/LCO Li-ion cells and more. He covers how Medtronic learned to manufacture Li-ion batteries in the USA by licensing technology from E-one Moli in Canada. Bill provides a unique perspective on the performance and safety constraints required for implantable medical devices.

What powers the NASA spacesuit? Dr. Eric Darcy shares the learnings of his 38 year career designing safe battery packs at NASA. Learn about how NASA came to adopt Li-ion cells and where they sourced them from. Eric explains the considerations and strategies taken when designing safe packs for space missions.

Why does Duracell not make Li-ion batteries? Battery expert Karthik Ramaswami joins us to tell the story of Duracell's ambitious 1990s initiative to commercialize Li-ion technology and the strategic factors that ultimately led to the program's dissolution. From shipping electrodes and slurries across the ocean to the fit between product and market, Karthik provides insights into a pivotal moment in North American battery production.