The lithium-based battery can be recharged over 6,000 times. It is made with a lithium metal anode and is apparently better for storing than our wonderfully explosive lithium tech.

Xin Li, a Harvard professor of something or other, said that the battery could make electric cars go much further, which is excellent news for eco-warriors, tree-huggers, and sales reps who never leave their BMWs.

Li wrote in a paper, "Lithium metal anode batteries are the holy grail of batteries because they have ten times the capacity of commercial graphite anodes. Our research is an important step toward more practical solid-state batteries for industrial and commercial applications."

Rechargeable batteries are better for the environment than disposable ones, which use many natural resources and end up in landfills. A study from 2018 said that rechargeable batteries use up to 23 times less non-renewable natural resources than disposable ones. They are also cheaper in the long run, which is good news for tightwads and penny-pinchers.

The battery is still in progress, but some investors are already drooling. The Harvard Office of Technology said it would lease the battery to Adden Energy, a company Li and three of his mates set up.

Added Energy, which claims to be a leader in "next-gen battery technologies", plans to make a smartphone-sized version of the battery, which could be a game-changer for gadget geeks and phone addicts.

Li and his team are not resting on their laurels, though. They plan to keep looking for new materials to make better batteries. "Our research explains one possible underlying mechanism of the process and provides a pathway to identify new materials for battery design," Li said.