General Motors is continuing its push to make a production version of the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid car and chose A123Systems as its battery partner.

A123Systems incorporates nanophosphate technology first developed at MIT in its lithium ion batteries. The company claims they are safer and more powerful than the first generation Li-Ion batteries that use metal oxide electrode that have been prone to overheating and catching fire when used in consumer electronics devices.

GM chose Continental Automotive Systems, with which it has been working with since January, to integrate the Li-ion cells into the E-Flex drive train system which will be used in the Volt. The E-Flex system can use any fuel -- including hydrogen, fossil or renewable fuels to produce the electricity that drives the car.

“The weight, size, safety and performance of these batteries have implications on all transportation, including hybrid buses, trucks and aircraft," said Dave Vieau, A123System's chief executive officer, in a press release.

The technology could also be used in a plug-in version of the Saturn Vue Green Line hybrid SUV. GM seems intent on being the first of the major auto companies with a plug-in hybrid, which if they do, could single-handedly reverse the companies fortunes in its battle with Japan.

Why This Matters: Plug-in hybrids can handle most daily driving on battery power alone. If sufficient clean electricity can be generated to power these vehicles, we could greatly reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and the resultant greenhouse gas emissions.