CHRISTINA LAMPE-ONNERUD

Founder and international chairman, Boston-Power Inc.

Chosen because: Boston-Power founder Lampe-Onnerud, 45, doesn't seem too upset by being turned down for Department of Energy funding in 2009. "Our company was maybe a little too young," she says. But the Massachusetts battery maker has landed support from an unusual source: the Chinese government.

In September 2011, Boston-Power received $125 million that included private equity plus grants and low-interest loans from the Chinese government. The investment is funding a lithium ion battery plant near Shanghai to service primarily the China market, but also for export.

Boston-Power claims its lithium ion battery delivers the Holy Grail of EV battery technology: high energy density, long life, fast charging and safety.

Quote: "The battery is not an afterthought; it is part of the design. We are very active in the design cycle."