Nanotechnology Tapped to Boost Hybrid Car Efficiency

Published: 01-Jun-2007

The research at the new facility, the Nissan Advanced Technology Center, will include making more efficient batteries for hybrid cars, including using nanotechnology in the production of lithium-ion batteries.

President Bush's announcement in May came amid news of higher gasoline prices and increased focus on the dangers of global warming. It also came six weeks after the Supreme Court ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate the greenhouse gases known to contribute to global warming, and nearly four months after the president's State of the Union address in which he proposed plans to cut U.S. gasoline consumption by 20 percent by 2017.

Although much of the focus on the president's proposals for fuel alternatives for cars has been on hydrogen fuel cells and biofuels such as ethanol, Mr. Bush recently signed a $3.7 billion federal initiative supporting nanotechnology research across all fields.

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