Lithium-ion batteries are everywhere — in your phone, laptop, and by this time next year, maybe your car. The technology is slated for GM’s Chevy Volt, Toyota’s plug-in Prius, and electric versions of the Daimler Smart and BMW Mini. Until recently, lithium went primarily into ceram...

Lion Cells, a Menlo Park-based startup backed by Battery Ventures and Nth Power, joined the energy-storage fray yesterday, emerging from two years of stealth with a new name — Imara Corp. — and a plan to ship its lithium-ion batteries by the fourth quarter of 2009. While other lithium-io...