With the wind firmly in the sails (lolwhut?) of hybrid cars auto giant GM is to get into the electric battery business:
The company also plans to increase its in-house battery development by building a 31,000-square-foot battery lab and hiring hundreds of battery engineers. GM is also working with a battery-engineering program at the University of Michigan to train new engineers. The lack of qualified and experienced battery engineers in the United States has been one of the big challenges facing battery startups such as A123 Systems. Most advanced battery production takes place in Asia, and this could hold back a switch from conventional vehicles to electric ones in the United States.
Technology Review have also created an interesting infographic of how a hybrid car works.