Photos: Automakers race toward electric

Pictured is one of Altair's lithium ion cells. Put a bunch of these together and you've got a battery.

At the heart of Phoenix Motorcars' all-electric vehicles is a lithium ion battery from Altair. Until recently, lithium batteries have been considered too unstable and volatile for use in cars.

With Altair's NanoSafe battery, the anode--the component inside batteries that discharges electrons--is made from lithium titanate spinels, a particle made from two lithium atoms, three oxygens and a titanium atom. Conventional anodes are made from graphite. Graphite flakes can come loose and react with the electrolyte--the liquid carrying the lithium particles--and start a thermal runaway reaction. By contrast, Altair's anode is inert.