OAK RIDGE, TN—Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory are studying ways to reuse electric vehicle batteries after they are spent.

COMMACK, NY—Bren-Tronics Inc., a manufacturer of rechargeable batteries for the military, has moved into a new, $5-million assembly plant here.

LYONS, PA—East Penn Manufacturing Co. Inc. will construct a 458,000-square-foot battery assembly plant here, creating 400 jobs.

Lithium-ion batteries have been used in portable consumer electronics for decades, primarily because they offer excellent energy density, no memory effect and a slow loss of charge when not in use.

DETROIT—Sales of lithium ion batteries are expected to grow from $1.6 billion in 2012 to $22 billion by 2020, according to a report from Pike Research.

DETROIT—Wanxiang Group, a large Chinese auto parts maker, has won a high-stakes auction for the assets of A123 Systems, the bankrupt American battery maker.

LYONS, PA—East Penn Manufacturing Co. Inc. is investing $100 million to build a new assembly plant here to make batteries for forklifts and automobiles.

DEARBORN, MI—Ford is planning to invest $135 million in a research center to develop batteries and other components for hybrid-electric vehicles.

OBERHAUSEN, Germany—Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology in have developed a new fluid for cooling the costly batteries in electric vehicles.

DETROIT—The price of lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles is expected to drop by 17 percent by 2025.