GREAT QUESTION!!

http://thefraserdomain.typepad.com/energy/2005/11/lithium_batteri.html#comment-24850564

"why don't people with money and technology make a product that is mass consumable"

In my opinion it is the systematic monopolization of capital, natural resources, and markets for manufacturing that is the most problematic factor.

The US has the biggest market. So when Japanese companies tend to move away from oil, which is natural since Japan lacks its own oil, US trade negotiators start nagging over "voluntary" import quotas. Voluntary? They made the japanese automakers "a deal they can't refuse" is more like it.

Either slow down plugin hybrid and electric vehicle introduction "voluntarily" or import quotas will be installed. Extortion.

When Altairnano or some other US battery technology or electric car upstart makes application for venture capital and government research grants, that capital is very slow in coming, and if/when it does it is short by a few orders of magnitude.

Instead of billions they get millions.

And those controlling the capital also control oil resources that they want to exploit down to the very last drop. It is hard to monopolize wind, waves, solar, and geothertmal heat. It's everywhere free.