You Won't Like What This Incredible New Battery Tech Means For Traditional Cars

Scientists at the Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg in Germany have made massive leaps in their development of lithium-ion batteries.

Their work could make a huge difference to battery-powered cars, by removing the major drawbacks associated with the technology. Most importantly, the batteries degrade slowly: 10,000 cycles of being completely discharged and recharged results in a loss of just 15 per cent of its capacity. That means that after 27 years of daily charging, you would still have 85 per cent of the battery's original power.

How does this compare to current car batteries? Well, the Tesla Roadster's 'Energy Storage System' has been found to have around 80 per cent of its capacity left after 100,000 miles (around 10 years, depending on your mileage), costing $12000 to replace if you pre-purchase a battery to be fitted once yours needs replacing. In the Model S, batteries are expected to last about 16 years, at which point you should be at 60 per cent of capacity (though Tesla has said very little, and it's too early to tell from consumer cars).

Simply put, these new batteries should last a lot longer than anything that is currently on the market. This reduces the long-term running costs of an EV as you're paying to replace your battery less often.

But it's not just longevity. These batteries have more densely packed power, which has multiple benefits. Not only can it hold more power, it will charge quicker and provide better acceleration.

It is unlikely we'll see this technology in use for a few years, but the signs are promising that the drawbacks associated with battery technology appear to have been addressed. Could this be the final nail in the coffin for the internal combustion engine?