a single charge, you would be able to charge your car and drive up to 1,000 miles on one charge, nonstop. so that would eliminate the reservation that a lot of people have about electric cars. >> johnson has tested the battery's ability in the lab time and is again. but in order to get the battery to work in an electric car, it needs to be larger. and scaling it up takes big money. >> we could actually put it in a car and drive a car i would say 12 to 18 months if we had adequate funding. >> but johnson says companies with far more resources are starting to catch up. >> now we've got large entities like the national laboratories and ibm and others who have deep pockets starting to focus on this technology. so we've got to run faster. and stay ahead much. >> the other potentially world-changing invention he has developed is this engine. the j-tech converts heat to electricity. popular mechanics magazine awarded the j-tech its break through prize in 2008.