General Motors (NYSE:GM) Licenses Battery Technology Cutting Size

Although it's not apparent if the licensing of battery technology by General Motors (NYSE:GM) from the U.S. Energy Department will be of value, the theory is the small battery size could lower the price of electric vehicles or extend their range. The size of the battery will be about half that of the required size of electric batteries at this time.

Jon Lauckner, the president of GM Ventures, said the technology "improves the energy density of lithium-ion cells and that moves us closer to what we need to be competitive with" gasoline as a fuel ... "This improved energy density can be used to either offer vehicles with the same number of cells and offer greater range or reduce the number of cells to reduce cost, or some combination of both."

The major obstacle to electric vehicles is the high cost of batteries and the limited range they offer drivers.

Costs are of course vital, but until the range issue is resolved, electric vehicles are an interesting side show with little base in reality, as far as being accepted by consumers.

That, and ways to have a low-charged battery quickly and easily recharged are the issues at stake from that point of view.

Of course there is the oil and gas jobs and the gas station and convenience store jobs to consider as well.