This is great news for the advancement of electric vehicles.  Fourteen US companies have formed an alliance with a government laboratory called the National Alliance for Advanced Transportation Battery Cell Manufacture with the goal of the advancement of lithium batteries.  The fragmented US battery industry has had a difficult time keeping up with their Asian counterparts.  As battery consultant Ralph Brodd says, “(Other) countries understand that he who makes the batteries will one day make the cars.” 

The NAATBCM is modeled after SEMATECH, the successful public-private venture created in the late 80’s to restore US prominence in the semiconductor industry.  Johnson Controls (JCI), 3M (MMM), ActaCell, All Cell Tech, Altair Nanotechnologies (ALTI), Eagle Pitcher Industries, EnerSys (ENS), Envia Systems, FMC Corp (FMC), MicroSun Tech, Mobius Power, SiLyte, Superior Graphyte and Townsend Advanced Energy will make up the alliance with Mark Peters of Argonne National Laboratory advising.  US truck and auto makers will be asked to join the advisory board as well.