Manta Ray in U.S. waters

Back when Metallica was cool, before Lars and the gang cut their hair, their songs, sold out, got greedy and generally annoying, they released "... And Justice For All" . I bought it on cassette. The first song, "Battery." 

So it's with some nostalgia that I write about the latest twist in the U.S. auto industry spiral. Plenty Mag has a story today about U.S. battery makers forming an alliance to develop and produce batteries for the next generation of domestic automobiles. It's called the National Alliance for Advanced Transportation Battery Cell Manufacture, or NAATBCM for short. That's catchy. 

The group aims to get U.S. batteries in U.S. cars. They want up to $2 billion in federal aid, but say a little upfront investment would help create jobs (remember those?). Other countries subsidize battery cell manufacture.

Argonne National Lab says: "Lithium ion batteries are anticipated to replace gasoline as the principal source of energy in future cars and military vehicles. Today, United States automobile manufacturers and defense contractors depend upon foreign suppliers — increasingly concentrated in Asia — for lithium ion battery cells."

Why not make them here? We used to make good metal here, too. 

- Green Mullet

P.S. The first time one of my friends heard "Battery," he thought the chorus was "Manta Ray." We all had a good laugh. "Manta Ray!"