IBM and Turkish electronics and defense manufacturer ASELSAN have forged a deal to develop batteries for electric cars, the Turkish American Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TACCI) said.

The batteries will have longer life spans and allow vehicles to travel up to five times farther than they currently can. The agreement between the two technology companies furthers corporate cooperation to create better, more-efficient metal-air batteries.

“Metal-air batteries...to be developed jointly by ASELSAN and IBM, will be able to have five times more power storage capacity than a lithium-ion battery. The new batteries will thus become a milestone on the road to resolving a range of problems in electric cars," representatives from both companies said in a joint statement.

With current lithium-ion battery technology, cars and other electronic vehicles can travel up to 100 miles before needing to be recharged.