In this Feb. 23, 2007, file photo, President Bush, center, listens to Dave Vieau, President and CEO of A123 Systems, right, as he is shown a Toyota Prius plug-in hybrid car utilizing a lithium power battery during a demonstration of alternative fuel automobiles on the South Lawn of the White House. Short of cash and hurting from slow sales of electric cars, battery maker A123 Systems Inc. sent its U.S. operations into bankruptcy protection on Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2012, and quickly sold its automotive assets. The filing is likely to stoke the debate in Washington over the Obama administrationÃs funding of alternative energy companies. In 2009, A123 got a $249 million Department of Energy grant to help it build U.S. factories. Republicans have accused Obama of wasting stimulus money on the companies after the failure of politically connected and now-bankrupt solar power company Solyndra LLC, which left taxpayers on the hook for $528 million. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)
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