So the global race is on to build a better lithium-ion battery, one that pulls off the herculean feat of extending range while being long-lasting, affordable, quick-charging and safe.

In Asia, governments and big battery companies are investing heavily in next-generation battery technology, while in the United States, much of the cutting-edge research is being performed at Department of Energy labs and universities.

The San Francisco Bay Area -- home to Palo Alto, Calif.-based Tesla Motors, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and two dozen battery startups -- has emerged as one of the leading hubs of battery innovation.

"Transportation is going to go electric, and batteries have become a real critical technology," said Steve Visco, chief technology officer of PolyPlus, a startup spun out of the Berkeley lab. "The Chinese government is subsidizing a lot of battery research, and in Japan the companies have 10-, 20- and 30-year technology road maps."

Of course the Chicoms are pushing this crap.  The Chicoms own the metals.  America imports 100% of the metals needed from the Chicoms to build the useless damn batteries that our manufactures are being subsidized to make.  They win on both sides.  Tank rou vely much Amelican suckas.  By the ray, rour intelest payment is due...

Gee, now where have I seen a nation out maneuver another empire into oblivion before?  Oh, wait... It was here.

Ya, "I am Debbie, dammit!  Hear me preen" ...in the name of Socialism.

I just can't wait for all the rolling brownouts to start if commies within like Stabenow and Resident Obogey finally get their way with plug-in golf-cart mobiles 'cause we sure is hell aren't creating any power plants in this country, and the ones we've got that are a majority coal fired; they're chasing them out of business.

Yannow, if it were up to me... I'd buckle the damn Chicoms Rare Earth Metal knees along with OPECs by sinking the first of many oil wells in America, post haste.

It'd be drill baby drill and frack baby frack.