Lithium Has Transformed Vehicle Technology: How trends in Li-ion battery technology have developed for vehicle electrification

While the Prius, powered by nickel metal-hydride (NIMH) batteries, marked the advent of the mass-marketed electrified vehicle, it was the introduction of Lithium (Li)-ion batteries in the Chevrolet Bolt, Nissan Leaf, and Tesla Roadster that ushered in the next generation and wider-scale commercialization of electrified vehicles. As is well-known, NiMH batteries do not have the specific energy (watt-hour per kilogram) required for plug-in hybrid-electric vehicles (PHEVs) and battery-electric vehicles (BEVs).