The End of Oil?

I hate to get my hopes up, but this sounds pretty exciting:

Reclusive green-tech startup whispers a eulogy for the battery

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Millions of inventions pass quietly through the U.S. patent office each year. Patent No. 7,033,406 did, too, until energy insiders spotted six words in the filing that sounded like a death knell for the internal combustion engine.

An Austin-based startup called EEStor promised "technologies for replacement of electrochemical batteries," meaning a motorist could plug in a car for five minutes and drive 800 kilometres roundtrip between Dallas and Houston without gasoline.

By contrast, some plug-in hybrids on the horizon would require motorists to charge their cars in a wall outlet overnight and promise only 80 kilometres of gasoline-free commute. And the popular hybrids on the road today still depend heavily on fossil fuels.

This could mean the end of oil and a major step in the fight against global warming. I hope that this is real and that it moves to the market as quickly as possible.

...oh, and I hope that the oil industry doesn't buy them out.