Vanadium Pentoxide/Lion battery, 2X power:

http://phys.org/news/2015-01-glass-battery-electrodes.html

Originally posted by sonhouse
http://phys.org/news/2015-01-glass-battery-electrodes.html

This is got to be good news in the short term but I still predict the days of lithium-ion batteries are numbered.
That is because it is just a matter of time before one or more of the following 4 types of battery would be fully developed to be ultra-efficient that all have a theoretical maximum energy density far greater than that of lithium-ion batteries:

lithium-sulfur battery

magnesium-sulfur battery

lithium-air battery

magnesium-air battery

Each of the above, no matter how well developed in the future, will always have its own advantages and disadvantages over the remaining 3 (which I will be glad to explain here on request if anyone is interested ) thus making it difficult to predict which ones out of this 4 will pan out in the long run. But, I can guarantee by process of elimination systematically going through the whole of the periodic table and doing the maths with Gibbs function as well as taking into account economic considerations that at least one or the 4 if not more will pan out and become the main batteries of choice for most purposes in the very long run.

I can also guarantee that lithium-ion batteries will be nowhere to be seen in the far future as there is no theoretical/hypothetical situation I can think of where at least one of the 4 types above will outperform and be better in every way to lithium-ion batteries in the far future.

Originally posted by humy
I can also guarantee that lithium-ion batteries will be nowhere to be seen in the far future as there is no theoretical/hypothetical situation I can think of where at least one of the 4 types above will outperform and be better in every way to lithium-ion batteries in the far future.

Not even economical reasons...?

Originally posted by FabianFnas
Not even economical reasons...?

The use of newer high energy density batteries will no doubt be driven by economics. If they are cheaper to manufacture than traditional L-ion batteries, they will eventually replace the old ones but it will be years before the process is worked out enough for full scale manufacturing so lithium ion batteries will be around for a few years more at least.

Originally posted by FabianFnas
Not even economical reasons...?

Lithium is expressive and always will be because it is a bit rare which means we must use it a bit sparingly if we are not to one day run out of it. Both sulfur and magnesium is much cheaper per gram and the oxygen in air cost nothing. Hence a battery of one of the 4 types I listed that has higher energy density than lithium-ion but uses a lot less lithium for each joule stored is bound to be cheaper (once technology is properly developed to make it efficiently ) for each joule it is required to store. So, yes, not even economical reasons.
None of the 4 types I listed have yet been properly researched and then fully developed and made close to its maximum theoretical energy efficiency and, until at least one has, lithium-ion batteries may stay economical for quite a while yet. But it is just a matter of time before that will change.

Lion batteries?

Originally posted by DeepThought
Lion batteries?

you have to watch out for them.

Originally posted by humy
you have to watch out for them.

If you don't dispose of them correctly they can come back and bite you in the ass.....

Originally posted by DeepThought
Lion batteries?

http://www.lionbatteries.com.au/

(mostly Lead-acid products 🙂 )