Dieselgate - Transition to ElectricVehicles, page-123

On to it already.

August 16, 2016
Solid batteries improve safety
A new lithium-ion battery made entirely of solid material has been developed by scientists. They report that it contains neither liquids nor gels. The battery cannot ignite, even at very high temperatures, giving it a safety advantage over conventional batteries.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/08/160816110807.htm?trendmd-shared=0


July 20, 2016
Garnet-type fast ionic conductor for all-solid-state lithium battery
' Using this material as a solid electrolyte, an all-solid-state lithium battery was fabricated and its reversible charge and discharge reaction was demonstrated successfully. This finding contributes to the realization of highly safe, rechargeable batteries for large-scale power sources. '
Rechargeable all-solid-state lithium batteries are expected to be one of the next-generation energy storage devices because of their high energy density, safety, and excellent cycle stability. The materials used for the solid electrolyte must not only have a high lithium-ion conductivity above 1 mS/cm at room temperature, but also possess chemical stability.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/07/160720105038.htm

July 29, 2014
Stanford researchers seek 'Holy Grail' in battery design
Pure lithium anode closer to reality with development of protective layer of interconnected carbon domes.
http://news.stanford.edu/news/2014/july/pure-lithium-battery-072914.html


July 27, 2014
Holy grail' of battery design achieved: Stable lithium anode
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releas...eDaily)&utm_medium=feed&utm_source=feedburner


February 4, 2014
Gummy material addresses safety concerns of lithium ion batteries
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140204074223.htm

Also, this report carried out last year -

Are There Alternatives To Lithium For Energy Storage?
January 14, 2016
In a report titled, “The Next-Generation Battery Roadmap: Quantifying How Solid-State, Lithium-Sulfur, and Other Batteries Will Emerge After 2020”, analysts from Lux Research predicted that Lithium-based batteries would remain the best bet for energy storage in the years ahead
http://globalsolartechnology.com/en...e-alternatives-to-lithium-for-energy-storage/

There are many alternatives being dvloped from copper foam to microbes but in my research I have found that most efforts are being put into safer solutions for existing tech. Considering the amount of development requires an integral understanding gained through extensive testing. Also, most of the alternatives involve lithium as - Lithium as a metal element, has the highest lithium storage capacity (3,861 mAh/g) compared to any other metal or metal-intercalated compound.
https://www.google.com/patents/US20150064575