I knew very little about lithium and the source was a surprise, it is found in Chili, among other places, in a hot dry desert area they pump it out of a depth of about 130 feet, let it dry for about a year in plastic lined ponds, and you have lithium after some drying and purifying it sells for as high as $12K a ton. The supply is almost endless, but at one time oil was considered endless. China has recently found a way to decrease the cost of their lithium production and is expected to be a major player in the market.Exxon was working on a battery design in the 70’s but could not eliminate the risk of fire. At the same time the military also required lithium for H bomb production. They extracted it from spodumene in North Carolina which was an expensive and labor intensive process. The smallest flaw in manufacturing can cause the battery to overheat and at times explode. These safety concerns and a longer life span are the major hurdles in production at present. I doubt if I would buy a car with a battery manufactured in China as they try to cut too many corners, watch for some strict safety regulations in the near future.The lithium battery will not help dependencies on overseas manufactures as over 90% of the materials come from overseas. The energy department has devoted $50 million to auto battery research with most of it going to lithium. We presently use nickel metal hydride and they are improving every day, they presently have a life span of about 10 years but this depends on charging rates. They can be recharged to 80% in 15 minutes if you require a trip of more than 100 miles, but this shortens the life of the battery if used often. Heat is a batteries worst enemy. At present many who live in places such as New York, where it is expensive to own and park a vehicle, many will rent a vehicle for a day when required I can see this also for trips longer then a 100 miles for electric car owners.The major problem with this car is the cost it has to come down for it to sell. They sell for the same price as a well equipped luxury vehicle and I don’t think the motoring public is going to pay this kind of price without the luxury and prestige of a luxury car.