SAUSALITO, Calif. -- I love the USBCell rechargeable battery from Moixa Energy because: 1. It eliminates the need for an often redundant piece of hardware; and 2. It will outrage privacy advocates and Libertarians.

The USBCell is essentially a rechargeable nickel metal hydride battery with a USB plug attached on top. A cover with a positive nodes slides over the plug so it can be used in flashlights, cameras and other devices.

Attaching the USB interface reduces the amount of power that can be stored in the battery, admitted CEO Simon Daniel during a hallway chat at the GoingGreen conference taking place this week. If a supercharged AA nickel metal hydride can store 2500 milliamp hours, the USBCell might do 1300 or 1500.

Integrating the USB port, however, means that you can charge it by slapping it into the USB port of your computer. Thus, you don’t need to carry a charger on business trips as long as you have your notebook. Charging through a PC is also generally more efficient than charging with one of those store-bought chargers because the power supplies and other components in a PC are more efficient, he said.

Moixa’s AA batteries are already on sale in select stores. The company is also working on a lithium-ion battery with a USB interface for phones. (See photo.). The company will mostly make and design batteries and let others sell them under their brand names.

But where’s the privacy outrage? It comes in the software that Moixa has begun to couple with its batteries. The batteries will pop up ads and/or power saving tips whenever you plug into charge them. Let’s say you got a pair of the batteries with a game controller. The batteries will, if programmed in this way, begin to pop up ads and discount coupons for game devices. The ads are fairly unobtrusive and didn’t really bug me, but unanticipated advertising makes some people go bonkers. Expect puerile outrage in the blogosphere.

But that’s not all. Moixa is also developing software that can monitor your power consumption and how you use your products. Let’s say the software was put in a home charger or other energy managing device. By examining how you often you charge them and how much charge is needed, the software will be able to determine, conceivably, how much water you are boiling each time, he said. Thus, your batteries can begin to observe your behavior without you noticing. A program like this invariably would require customers to opt-in. It could also help reduce power consumption – one of the big challenges now is trying to teach people how they actually use electricity. In fact, there are a slew of companies and utility programs aimed at doing just this--controlling electricity flow while adjusting it to your lifestyle.

But there’s enough of a whiff of Big Brother in it to drive people like Declan McCullagh, a noted government watchdog, up the wall.

[Ed. note: Thank you, Simon.]

It’s like a bobsled on wheels.

That’s the feeling of driving the Tango from Commuter Cars, the latest electric car startup. The company produces an all-electric (and very expensive) car that’s about the size of a large motorcycle. (See photos). In fact, the car is five inches thinner than some touring motorcycles. The passenger sits directly behind the driver, sort of like team mates on a bobsled. The back seat can also be removed so you can haul stuff around. If you take out the back seat, you can fit two suitcases and a briefcase in the back.

Despite the diminutive size, it’s pretty fast. The car can go from zero to sixty in about four seconds, or as fast as a Tesla Roadster. CEO Rick Woodbury has raced several times against Dodge Vipers and won every time, he says. The secret of the speed is that the car is that it has two electric engines, not just one.

I got to test drive it. I cranked it up to 50 miles per hour in a few seconds and was able to go through sharp turns at 40 miles per hour without any noticeable sliding. In other words, it’s faster than my Honda Accord and handles better. Woodbury cranked it up to 80 miles per hour (in a 25 mph zone) for me while going uphill. It didn’t take long to get to that speed. Like all electric cars, it’s somewhat quiet: the whir of an electric motor is much quieter than a standard car.

George Clooney owns the one I drove around. (It will be delivered soon.) Sergey Brin has three of them. There is currently a six-month waiting list.

The idea is to produce a commuter car with the characteristics of a Porsche or other high-end sports car. Two of the cars fit in the same space as a regular car. Two can also drive side-by-side in a traffic lane. You can also pass regular cars legally without leaving your lane. If enough of the cars or ones like it get into circulation, you can start seeing progress in reducing congestion, said Woodbury.

But, unlike a commuter car, it cranks. Is it safe? Yes, the car contains the same roll cage that comes in Nascar stock cars. When you sit inside, you can see the steel bars. (They are covered in foam.). The car also sports 2,000 pounds of lead acid batteries. They are in the floor to lower the center of gravity.

The company in part uses lead-acid batteries because they weigh more than lithium-ion batteries. In the future, though, the company will produce cars with lithium and lead-acid batteries, he said, and one or two engines.

The choke point? Uhhh, the price is somewhat high. Right now the car costs $108,000. For that price, are you going to want this or a sports car?

“I’d rather have a Porsche,� one attendee told me.