Electric cars seem more and more close to become a practical, normal alternative to those using today’s dwindling supply of conventional resources. Consequently, battery manufacturers in the U.S agreed to band together and enter this future market with highly efficient batteries for hybrid cars and plug-in electric  vehicles.

Most importantly, these products should have the Made in USA stamp on them; great care must be taken so that the U.S. should not end up swapping foreign oil dependency with a similar bondage involving alternative energies. Right now, Europe and Asia are ahead of the U.S. in the battery technology race.

Countries such as China, Japan, South Korea and Germany have had no qualms about blissfully investing in production of lithium ion batteries; these are normally used in laptops and cell-phones, but efforts have been made to improve their performance so that they’ll one day become viable solutions for powering electric cars. General Motors has already said it may use foreign batteries for their Chevrolet Volt plug-in (which should come out of assembly lines in 2010).

According to the Washington Post, 14 companies announced on Dec. 18 that they’re forming a coalition called the National Alliance for Advanced Transportation Battery Cell Manufacture. Its objective will be to gain support for a massive increase in production of American lithium ion batteries.

The coalition said it needs grants of $1 billion to $2 billion in the next five year period to power up their plans for local lithium ion battery production. Chicago lawyer James Greenberger, the one at the helm of this Alliance, said that aides to President-elect Barack Obama have already been approached with the idea.

“We have been told very expressly that nothing has been endorsed, but our hope is that this is an idea that will attract a lot of support in a new administration,” Greenberger said.