You don't have to believe in global warming to buy a car that gets A LOT better gas mileage. Why link those two things together just because you don't like Li-ion batteries? Besides, you don't seem like an early adopter so don't worry about and keep putting your gas powered gar in your garage.

Clark you are a fine person, no doubt, and this kind of reportage is not worthy of you. Referencing a tv news report, especially one from KIROtv, a Seattle station! Who is sufficiently naive to trust television news, especially an outlet so close and dear to Microsoft?

The PCWorld piece is not as bad, though still not clean. To segue from one alleged iPod Touch incident, to Dell and Hitachi laptops, thereby insinuating guilt by association, should be obvious flimflam.
Show us a photo of the purported "exploding" device. Why won't they let us see it? Why not let Apple see it?

I know you are an anti-Apple guy, Clark, but this is over the top.

The batteries in ipods are the same as laptops and cellphones - lithium ion. As far as exploding batteries in electric cars? There is only one production vehicle out there that has a lithium ion battery and that is the Tesla. The Chevy Volt and the Nissan Leaf will contain lithium ion batteries. All the hybrids in production have NiCad batteries. In the Tesla and properly in the Volt and Leaf the lithium ion battery is contained in a reinforced steel case. The batteries don't explode but they can catch on fire if they are no manufactured properly. But if you can to remember, gasoline does explode and you ride around with 10-20 gallons of that in your car. Which is more dangerous lithium ion or gasoline. Seriously.

Clark's notes don't say, but these batteries are probably made of lithium ion, the same batteries in most lap top computers and cell phones. These batteries have a long history of catching fire and/or exploding. (remember the huge Toshiba laptop recall several years ago) I personally witnessed a cell phone hanging on a young lady's hip catch fire while I was paying her for a parking spot. Every time there is a recall, they say "we have corrected the problem. Lithium ion batteries are now safe." Well guess what. They are not safe. And guess what else. The new plug-in hybrid autos are going to run on the latest generation lithium ion batteries. And we will be told not to worry. They are now safe. I am not going to park one of these things in my garage until they have been on the market for several years. Go ahead Clark. Be ahead of the curve. Park one of these in your garage. But please move your family a safe distance first. Me, I like the good old internal combustion engine. Besides, global warming is caused by politicians like Al Gore flapping his jaws at a high rate of speed.