• AnyOldName3@lemmy.world
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    5 hours ago

    Under modern physics, Lithium is pretty much the best possible chemical to build batteries out of. Anything else that might be better won’t be a chemical battery, and it’s not like there’s any reason to suspect some new magic thing will be created like a pocket-size fusion reactor that will make chemical batteries totally obsolete any time soon. Decades more of lithium batteries being relevant are as close to guaranteed as can be.

    • nyan@lemmy.cafe
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      4 hours ago

      Lithium is pretty much the best possible chemical to build batteries out of.

      Depends on how you define “best”. Likely the highest possible short-term energy density, yes, but that isn’t the only thing we might want out of a battery. “Doesn’t catch fire” is one of the areas where the highest-energy lithium battery chemistries are far from the best, for instance.

    • Blue_Morpho@lemmy.world
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      3 hours ago

      Lithium is pretty much the best possible chemical to build batteries out of.

      Nickel iron batteries, while heavier and less energy dense have virtually infinite lifespan. As such it is a far better battery for home power walls than lithium.

      • ayyy@sh.itjust.works
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        5 hours ago

        Those are not “better” batteries chemically or electrically. They are just cheaper and don’t use lithium which is considered a feature.

          • NιƙƙιDιɱҽʂ@lemmy.world
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            3 hours ago

            Cheap, high longevity, high capacity. You can’t have all three.

            What’s better depends on application. I don’t want a cheap battery in my car if I only get 80 miles on a charge.

      • arrow74@lemmy.zip
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        3 hours ago

        That’s great for grid storage. Maybe one day for even EV use, emphasis on maybe. But you’ll never have a cell phone with a sodium battery