Battery life is the roadblock in the development of electric vehicles and alternative energy sources that require off-hour storage such as solar and wind power. Lithium ion batteries offer enough instantaneous power but their limited storage life has meant that cars utilizing them require very large numbers of batteries, creating potential problems with weight, possible fire issues and more.

Now, a Stanford scientist’s team think they may have a breakthrough in battery technology that could increase the storage time of lithium ion batteries (like those in laptops) ten-fold. Their breakthrough uses nano-technology to solve a major issue in storage. Estimated time to market is ’several years’. If this is legit I assume a big chunk of VC money is en route that might speed that process up- this is the holy grail in efficient energy technology right now.