6 alternatives to lithium-ion batteries: What’s the future of energy storage?

From smartphones to electric vehicles, batteries single-handedly power some of the single most impactful technologies in our lives. And while batteries themselves aren’t some new technology, the lithium-ion (Li-on) kind that powers most of our devices only began gaining ground a few short decades ago. But just as the world has moved on to renewable and sustainable sources of energy like wind and solar, similar breakthroughs in lithium-ion battery alternatives have also emerged in recent years.

So in this article, let’s take a quick look at the lithium-ion battery alternatives on the horizon. But first, let’s recap how modern batteries work and the many problems plaguing the technology.