POWER, UNLIMITED POWER! Lithium-Ion Pioneer Introduces New Battery That’s Three Times Better.

94 year-old John Goodenough, one of the co-inventors of the lithium-ion battery that now powers everything from phones to Teslas, has developed a new solid-state battery formula that promises to hold three times more energy than li-on. Goodenough and his team also say the new battery, which replaces a liquid electrolyte with glass, would charge quickly, never explode, and perform well at low temperatures that cripple today’s batteries.

The battery is still in the early stages of development, with a recent paper describing it published in the journal Energy & Environmental Science. That stage of battery research would normally merit caution, since most ‘revolutionary’ new battery ideas in recent years have turned out to be impractical to produce or unfit for the real world.

But Goodenough, even at 94, demands attention. In 1980, he pioneered the cobalt-oxide cathode that forms the heart of lithium-ion batteries. The li-on became the backbone of the mobile electronics revolution, with some calling its impact as big as the transistor’s.

A battery that convenient would be a real boon, but more important is having enough sources of cheap energy to keep them charged at rates anyone can afford.