NOVELTY - The method comprises providing fibers from a carbonaceous precursor, where the carbonaceous fibers have a glass transition temperature, placing the carbonaceous fibers into a layered fiber mat, fusing the fiber mat by heating the fiber mat in presence of oxygen to above the glass transition temperature to fuse fibers together at fiber to fiber contact points and without melting the bulk fiber mat to create a fused fiber mat through oxidative stabilization, and carbonizing fused fiber mat by heating the fiber mat to 650 degrees C under an inert atmosphere to create a carbonized fused fiber mat.    USE - The method is useful for making an anode, which is useful in a lithium ion battery (all claimed) that is useful in hybrid electric vehicles and fully electric vehicles.    ADVANTAGE - The method enables economic manufacture of the anode with high efficiency thus improving the cyclic capacity, lifespan and performance of the battery.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - The method comprises providing fibers from a carbonaceous precursor, where the carbonaceous fibers have a glass transition temperature, placing the carbonaceous fibers into a layered fiber mat, fusing the fiber mat by heating the fiber mat in presence of oxygen to above the glass transition temperature to fuse fibers together at fiber to fiber contact points and without melting the bulk fiber mat to create a fused fiber mat through oxidative stabilization, carbonizing the fused fiber mat by heating the fused fiber mat to 650 degrees C under an inert atmosphere to create a carbonized fused fiber mat, and incorporating the carbonized fused fiber mat as an anode of a battery. The carbonaceous precursor fibers are lignin fibers. The carbonaceous fibers consist of melt spinnable and melt blowable fibers. The fibers have a diameter of 1-300 mu m. The fusing step comprises heating the fiber mat at a rate of 0.03-10 degrees C/minute and heating the carbon fiber at 180-300 degrees C. The carbonizing step comprises heating the fused fiber mat at a rate of 650-3000 degrees C/minute, determining a desired level of graphitization in the anode, and adjusting the carbonization temperature depending on the degree of carbonization. The step of providing carbon fibers comprises mixing 0.2-10 wt.% of carbon nanotubes with the carbonaceous precursors to generate carbon nanotube composite fibers, chemically modifying functional groups on the carbonaceous precursors, providing a lignin precursor, and forming fibers from the lignin precursor. The chemical modification step comprises reacting the precursors with acetic anhydride, succinic anhydride, maleic anhydride and phthalic anhydride. The lignin precursor is ground to produce a lignin powder. The lignin powder is extruded and cut into pellets, and the pellets are subjected to one of melt spinning and melt blowing to produce lignin fibers. The anode has a specific charge capacity of 100 mAh g-1 for 10 cycles, and a reversible charge capacity of 150 mAh g-1. INDEPENDENT CLAIMS are included for:    (1) a lithium ion battery; and    (2) an anode for a battery.    DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING(S) - The diagrams show a schematic cross sectional view of an anode for lithium ion batteries.