Canada claims battery coup

There are some scientists and engineers in Canada that think they've just built a better mousetrap. That is, they've developed a better and safer lithium-ion battery. The LifePO4 batteries are already being used around the globe. They use technology that was first patented in Texas, then further developed and refined at the University of Montreal. Until now the tech has been restricted to smaller moving objects: electric scooters, bicycles and wheelchairs. Those using the battery are in Europe and Asia. So far, there's been no pick-up here in America. Now the battery's ready to move into highway vehicles.

An electric microcar using the new batteries will debut in Europe this year. The batteries are made by Phostech Lithium, a Canadian firm. Phostech was founded in 2001 and purchased outright by German-based Süd-Chemie in 2008.