My motorcycle is due for a new battery soon. I'm interested in getting a lithium battery since these types of batteries weigh about 1 pound versus about 6 for a lead acid battery. And on a motorcycle every bit of weight you can shed makes a difference in handling, if the battery is up high on the frame like on my BMW bike.
I also read about tech savvy DIY-types building their own lithium batteries using A123 cells. Something I would consider since it hits on two themes I like: saving money and supporting USA manufacturing. A123 is a company I've seen in the news as a supposed-darling of the "green revolution". I don't know if it is or not, but I am excited that battery technology is getting developed and built in the US.
Then today with disappointment I read this story in Forbes that a Chinese company is going to fund and take up to 80% ownership of A123. It is obviously the technology that the Chinese want. Too bad that this sort of stuff happens. But I guess it's been happening for decades and centuries already.
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