Stock grew by 31%, following a successful test in Norway. So far, it sounds like people kind of like the idea of a car that doesn't need gas.

A company called Altair Nanotechnologies, in East Reno, developed a new type of battery--the first of its kind--that, some say, could help mold the future.

"It has huge economic, huge political and huge social implications. We could be talking about a transformation of society in terms of how we use electricity and energy," said Evan House, President of Research, Engineering & Design Power & Energy Systems, Altairnano.

In other words, if we all drove cars run by these locally developed batteries, we'd no longer depend on foreign oil. Cars would be run entirely on renewable energy. While it's true that electric cars have been around awhile, this time, it's different.

"Your Toyota Prius has an electric engine and a gasoline engine. The electric engine just assists the gas engine. These ones are totally electric and run totally on our batteries."

To fill these cars, you'd fill up at a local "electro station," instead of a gas station, and unlike the current versions of electric cars that take hours to fill, charging these batteries would only take about ten minutes.

You could travel approximately 130 miles on one battery charge...and you wouldn't have to worry about replacing it.

"The battery will last longer than the vehicle. We anticipate it will last 20 years in the vehicle, then have usages after that."

Developers say these batteries could be used as an alternate power source that could run...well, just about anything.

A test drive showed us that a battery-run car drives just like any other car, but better.

"You'll never have to go to the gas station."

Sounds like a pretty good way to save money in the future...and the best part is, the cars themselves, that will run on these futuristic batteries...are not particularly expensive. Company researchers say they'll be comparable to cars of similar size and stature.

There's currently a big push for these types of cars in Europe, and especially in Scandinavia. A company spokesman tells us they'll probably show up in taxis, buses, and truck fleets first in the U.S., and then in a year or two, they should be available to the general public...something to look forward to if these gas prices don't give in.