Can the development of batteries keep pace with the ever-increasing demands of consumers?

The global production of batteries, in terms of total energy content, is continuously increasing to meet consumer demands. Many gigafactories all over the world have been established to sustain the supply chain, together with smaller production lines to meet the requirements of some specific, niche applications. China is the global leader in battery production, with a worldwide production network. While the battery supply balances their demand, their performances, which are equally important to sustain the development of the society based on renewables, increase at a slower pace than the requirements of different applications. In this article, we overview the present state of battery develop­ment, indicate major limitations of the present technologies and identify bottlenecks for their further development.