Although the technology was discovered at the beginning of the 20th century, the first lithium batteries didn’t make it to market until the 70s, and it was a series of breakthroughs in the early 80s that cemented it as the market leading product it is today.
Lithium (and cobalt / graphite / nickel / manganese) cells replaced lead acid as the foremost battery chemistry simply because lithium has the lightest weight, highest voltage, and greatest energy density of all metals (why is a bubble round?); nevertheless, its relative scarcity and recent price escalation has some manufacturers shopping for alternatives.
The expansion of energy storage capacity is undoubtedly a societal necessity for the foreseeable future, but with extensive R&D in this area being a constant force for change, there is no reason to expect a single type of device to dominate the market indefinitely.
On March 7th, researchers at RMIT University in Australia announced that they had cracked a new type of battery chemistry that they have termed the “Proton Battery”, which rivals the current lithium-ion setup even before optimization.
The working prototype uses a carbon-based electrode to store hydrogen, coupled with a reversible fuel cell to produce electricity. The carbon in the electrode bonds with protons generated when charging by splitting water assisted by electrons from the power supply.