3. 1970-1991: rapid growth of rechargeable systems

The renewed interest in the electric vehicle after the 1973 oil shock, the exponential development of consumer electronics from the late 1970s and the performance ceiling of Ni-Cd batteries led to an acceleration of research in the field of batteries. In this quest for embarked energy sources for consumer applications, performance criteria such as energy density, cyclability and cost became the main priority, ahead of any concerns for the safety of these systems. Various advances have led to the development of new battery systems: the discovery of solid ceramic electrolytes opened the way to high-temperature batteries, the discovery of alloys that can form hydrides at room temperature enabled the design of aqueous “alkaline” Ni-MH batteries, the knowledge of intercalation materials enabled the conversion of lithium batteries into rechargeable systems, and ultimately that of the first Li-ion...