I realize people like conspiracies, but no one is holding back battery technologies. Developers present their best results, played up in the press, and they dismiss the bad development results because "something" must have gone wrong with that experiment. However, when the process is scaled up, those bad results come to light and kill the technology. Trace impurities in bulk materials, as compared to high purity materials used in research batteries, also cause serious problems. I have been in this business for over twenty-five years; it isn't easy.

To the point of the initial post, I haven't purchased a hybrid because I am concerned about the environment. It takes a lot of energy to create a NiMH battery. Something like a Toytoa Corrola gets 40+ MPG, takes less energy to produce, lasts longer, and most of the vehicle is easily recycled when it dies. Overall life energy cost to the environment appear to me to be less for the Corolla.

Spud