As heard on

Listen to this story:

Even though GM has been getting rid of thousands of employees there is one area where it’s hiring people and it all has to do with advanced batteries.

Right now there is a major technological race going on world wide in the auto industry. It all has to do with coming out with advanced batteries that could make plug-in hybrids and electric cars a reality.

But on Autoline, GM’s chairman Rick Wagoner, said the United States is woefully behind in battery research. He’s concerned that Japan and China are getting a lock on being the places where these batteries will get made.

So GM is building up its own in-house capabilities to develop these batteries. Toyota already has 300 engineers working on advanced batteries, and while Wagoner wouldn’t go on the record saying GM is going to match Toyota’s effort, he also said he would not rule it out.