Lithium-ion batteries allowed EVs to finally become viable for the masses. They can store a lot of energy in a relatively small package, allowing EVs to drive more than 100 miles without towing a massive battery trailer with a big cable running alongside the hitch. However, they have their shortcomings. Lithium is an expensive metal, which is a big part of why the battery is the most expensive part of any electric vehicle. (With some EVs, the battery is half the price of the entire car.)
They also have never really been able to deliver a better range than a gasoline car with a little less than a half-tank of fuel. And of course, lithium is a finite resource that is becoming scarcer just as the electronics industry’s demand for it is sharply rising. With that in mind, here are some battery technologies that could allow the EV industry to move past lithium-ion, and a few variants of lithium-ion that make better use of those rare metals contained within.
