One of the biggest hurdles to affordable, reliable electric cars has been their batteries. The technology has come a long way, but further innovations are still needed.

Almost every major auto company has plans for electric cars. But even though batteries are widely used in phones, computers and other gadgets, manufacturing batteries for cars remains limited. And few factories exist here in the us.

President Obama's push to make cars and trucks more efficient could change that.

Automakers successfully lobbied congress to help establish a battery industry here in our country. The stimulus package contains $2 billion for advanced battery research and development.

Van Jones advises the president on green jobs:

"My big hope is that the united states will be the big producer of smart battery technology, that we'll actually manufacture it here. That's the way forward. Thats how we get to be a world leader in solutions rather than pollution."

A potentially promising way to help the struggling economy and the planet.