An electric car has to carry every pound of its battery down the road, so packing more energy into the same weight of battery can translate into more miles. A battery beside a power substation faces a different test: how long it can supply electricity when solar or wind output drops.

Lithium iron phosphate already serves both markets, accounting for around 90 percent of new stationary battery storage deployments in 2025, according to the International Energy Agency.

Six other technologies show where automakers and utilities could go next, from silicon-rich electrodes to batteries that discharge by rusting.

Solid-state batteries replace the liquid electrolyte that carries ions between electrodes with a solid material. That change could help engineers use a lithium-metal anode, which can store more energy per unit of weight than the graphite anodes common in EVs.

The challenge is keeping the solid layers in contact as the battery charges and discharges. Some designs rely on external pressure to maintain that contact, creating an extra engineering problem when those cells are assembled into a vehicle pack.

Adding more silicon to a lithium-ion battery’s anode can increase how much lithium the electrode holds. That could give automakers more room to extend driving range within the same battery pack footprint.

Silicon expands as it takes up lithium during charging and contracts as the battery discharges. Blending porous silicon with graphite is one way researchers have tried to limit swelling and preserve capacity over repeated charging cycles.

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