Chinese battery manufacturer BYD can now be mentioned in the same breath as Goldman Sachs: both have recently been given the blue-chip imprimatur by U.S. billionaire investor Warren Buffet. The Oracle of Omaha's MidAmerican Energy Holdings has bought a 10-percent stake in BYD for $230 million.

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Lightning GT.

This month will see the debut of the Lightning GT electric sports car at the British Motor Show on July 23. The nano-titanate battery pack will provide 740-HP and a 0-60 sprint in just four seconds. Those batteries have also been spaced around the car to give it a 48/52 weight balance, which could theoretically give it the kind of handling to match its looks.

Mercedes -- like a lot of other folks -- believes oil is going to run out eventually. But instead of waiting until the "Low on Oil" light comes on, the brand behind the three-pointed-star has set a goal to convert its entire fleet to run on alternative fuels by 2015. That's seven years to get off the drink we've all been addicted to for well over a century.

As expected, presidential hopeful John McCain outlined a plan yesterday which would offer a $300 million cash prize to the first company able to build a better automotive battery. The proposal is part of an effort to reduce the nation's petroleum usage, in this case, by furthering the development of electric cars.

Click above more another shot of the Hybrid Technologies supercar

Last month, a major announcement was made regarding an effort between Nissan and Chrysler to share products. Specifically, Nissan will build a small car for Chrysler and receive a large truck in return. It seems as if the Pentastar brand could use some more help when it comes to offering the types of vehicles that the public wants as quickly as possible. To that end, Chrysler CEO Bob Nardelli says, "If we can have similar arrangements ...

The General Motors EV1 has turned into one of the largest scapegoats in the automotive industry. Many people believe that the futuristic electric car was put to pasture long before its full usefulness had been met, a controversial viewpoint supported by the Chris Paine film, "Who Killed the Electric Car." To those conspiracy theorists, Angus MacKenzie at Motor Trend has another take to offer: blame CARB.

BMW's U.S. success means that come 2012, it will be considered a large vehicle manufacturer here in the States. In preparation for that, BMW will decide this year on whether to make "an ecologically-compatible car for the U.S. market," most likely to help the automaker meet more stringent CAFE standards that are forthcoming. Incredibly, for a company known for its engines, this newest car venture would probably run on batteries according to CEO Norbert Reithofer.