To Understand the Medical Supply Shortage, It Helps to Know How the U.S. Lost the Lithium Ion Battery to China: The failed U.S. effort to dominate global production of the lithium ion battery -- which is key to energy independence, automobile innovation and more -- holds lessons for leaders grappling with the U.S.'s reliance on China for emergency medical supplies

Innovation and more -- holds lessons for leaders grappling with the U.S.'s reliance on China for emergency medical supplies When both of its factories were built, A123 had the capacity to be America's biggest lithium ion battery producer. Companies and associations -- including the Korean company LG Chem and Tesla, the two biggest manufacturers of batteries in the U.S. -- pleaded for exemptions with the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative because of the difficulty finding sources. (Jeffrey Sauger/Bloomberg via Getty Images) PHOTO (COLOR): A battery pack and an electric sports car are displayed in a showroom in Hangzhou, China, by the industrial conglomerate Wanxiang, which bought A123 in 2013 after the American firm went bankrupt. [Extracted from the article]