Side Impact: A battery designed by A123 Systems for GM’s Volt electric vehicle can survive a crushing safety test. The high-velocity impact could have caused other lithium-ion batteries to overheat and catch fire. Credit: Porter Gifford

It is the quickest electric motorcycle in the world. On a popular YouTube video, the black dragster cycle nearly disappears in a cloud of smoke as the driver does a "burn-out," spinning the back wheel to heat it up. As the smoke drifts away, the driver settles into position and hits a switch, and the bike surges forward, accelerating to 60 miles per hour in less than a second. Seven seconds later it crosses the quarter-mile mark at 168 miles per hour--quick enough to compete with gas-powered dragsters.

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