http://www.thegreencarwebsite.co.uk/blog/index.php/2011/07/19/electric-car-batteries-ripe-for-innovation-the-green-piece/

The innovations don’t end there. In Canada, Electrovaya has been concentrating on removing toxic chemicals from the manufacturing process to make lithium-ion batteries even more “green”. Currently, most lithium-ion battery producers use a chemical called N-methyl-pyrrolidone – a solvent used to prepare metal surfaces – which has been classed in the same category as mercury and asbestos by the US Environmental Protection Agency. However, Electrovaya has developed manufacturing processes that eliminate the need for this chemical and it might licence this technology to larger companies looking to meet tough environmental standards.