Startup company faces legal battle over battery design

MIT Technology Review : Having benefited from funding from both the Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy and General Motors, technology startup Envia Systems is now in the midst of legal troubles over its promises of an innovative, high-energy-density battery for electric vehicles. The company promised a battery with an energy density of 400 watt-hours per kilogram, twice the storage capacity of conventional batteries. However, Envia has since been unable to reproduce the stunning results of its early prototype. Moreover, it has been alleged that key elements of the battery’s design may have been taken from other companies.