ETOX Zafer electric car prototype would be Turkey's first production EV and is targeted to sell for around US$20,000.

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A Nissan LEAF painted in NYC Yellow Cab colors.

Imperia Wiesmann GT electric hybrid sports car.

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24-Feb-2013

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IBM's High Risk, High Reward Pursuit of Lithium-Air Batteries

IBM researchers have demonstrated promising lithium-air batteries, but expect it will take up to a decade to achieve commercialization.

Everyone who’s held a smartphone to the ear or watched a movie with a laptop balanced on their knees knows the devices get hot. Most are unaware the same battery technology is widely used in electric cars and has made few notable advances in a decade.

Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries became costly for General Motors Co. after they caught fire in its plug-in Volt car during safety tests in 2011. They grounded Boeing Co.’s newest Dreamliner airplane in January.

International Business Machines Corp. plans to release a prototype next year of an alternative it calls “lithium air” that would mark a big step forward by packing in more storage capacity. While improving the technology depends on chemical processes that take longer to perfect than the systems that brought cheap electronics, finding a solution to the shortcomings of batteries has the potential to revolutionize everything from transportation to hand-held gadgets.

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