When will Battery Technology take a Real Step Forward?

So I recently read an annoying, sensationalist headline online with the title "Elon Musk is not impressed with Stanford's amazing new battery that fully charges in 1 minute." Of course, being the typical Internet consumer, I clicked on the article to figure how Elon Musk could possibly not like this new battery that supposedly charges in 1 minute. What's not to like about this battery breakthrough?!

Well, after reading the article I must say that I have to agree with Elon Musk but first, let me explain a little more about this new battery.

Some Stanford researchers recently developed an aluminum-ion battery that can be fully charged in a minute. I think that is pretty impressive but there are other benefits besides overall charge time. By using graphite for the anode and cathode, the battery can withstand 7,500 charging cycles without a drop in performance whereas common batteries used in industry such as lithium-ion batteries can only withstand 1,000 charging cycles.

The aluminum-ion battery has an, "inexpensive electrodes, good safety, high-speed charging, flexibility, and long cycle life." All of these great qualities seemingly make this prototype the best battery in the world, however, the largest flaw is that the battery stores much less energy than a lithium-ion battery. The researchers stated that their aluminum-ion battery produces half the voltage that of an everyday lithium-ion battery.

In a world where technological mobility is becoming more and more valuable, this new battery stands little chance of becoming adopted by companies. Cell phones, smart watches, tablets, laptops, and other mobile technology require large amounts of energy to continue running and consumers do not want to be inconvenienced by having to recharge the devices. Everyone wants their devices to run for as long as possible before having to recharge. Typical expectations are that a cell phone should make it through an entire day with average use before dying. Honestly, I would rather stick with lithium-ion batteries if it means my phone will need to be charged in 10 hours as opposed to 5 hours.

Elon Musk, the founder of the electric car company Tesla, tweeted, "Battery 'breakthroughs' need to state power *and* energy density (not the same thing), plus how long they last. They usually fail on energy."

Unfortunately, I share Elon Musk's opinion that this is a great breakthrough, however, it is not solving the current problem where there is not enough energy density and time between recharge is sometimes too small. I believe that one day people will create a solution and develop a battery that truly does advance battery technology, I just hope that it happens soon so we can be a part of the development of exciting technologies that will use this battery. 

https://www.yahoo.com/tech/s/elon-musk-not-impressed-stanford-amazing-battery-fully-164009895.html