Lewis Urry, a Canadian chemical engineer transferred in 1955 to Eveready's (Union Carbide) research laboratory in Parma, Ohio, with the mission of extending the life of the then-dominant zinc-carbon batteries, decides instead to develop an alkaline-electrolyte battery from scratch. His decisive innovation consists of replacing solid zinc with powdered zinc as the anode, drastically increasing the available reaction surface and, with it, the battery's capacity and lifespan compared to its zinc-carbon predecessors. Urry demonstrates the result to his superiors by racing two toy cars in the company cafeteria, one with a conventional battery and the other with his alkaline prototype; the difference in range immediately convinces management. The patent application is filed on October 9, 1957, jointly with co-inventors Karl Kordesch and P.A. Marsal, and granted in 1960; Eveready commercializes the first alkaline battery in 1959, rebranded as "Energizer" in 1980. Modern alkaline batteries, derived from this design, last five to eight times longer than their zinc-carbon predecessors.